Missouri ranks second in the nation in biodiesel production with seven plants in the state producing roughly 200 million gallons of renewable fuel annually that can be blended into diesel to reduce emissions and provide alternate markets for farmers’ crops, according to the Missouri Soybean Association.

With the present capacity to expand that output to at least 250 million gallons a year — and with the state’s $2.2 billion soybean industry suffering a 30-percent decline in sales because of trade disputes with China — yet another attempt will be made to follow virtually every other state in the nation in establishing biodiesel fuel minimums (BFMs) when Missouri lawmakers begin their 2021 session on Jan. 6.