With the cost of crude oil escalating and the challenge to replace 75 percent of oil imports from the Middle East by 2025 there has been an increased interest in renewable fuel sources.  Biodiesel plants are being built in Arkansas which currently are utilizing soybean oil or animal fat as the feedstock.  As more biodiesel plants are built and the production of biodiesel increases more feedstocks will be needed to maintain the demand. Canola is better suited for biodiesel than soybean due to its higher oil content and more desirable fatty acid profile.  Canola is a winter crop in Arkansas, harvested in early June and may allow for doublecropping with soybean after harvest.  It has a high oil content and the meal from crushing can be used as an animal food supplement.  The University of Arkansas has been evaluating canola lines for more than 12 years.  With the advent of two biodiesel plants coming to Arkansas, there is demand for production.
Yield and production cost data were calculated and the feasibility of producing canola in Arkansas was determined.  Data from the Arkansas Elite Canola Lines (ECL) tests and the National Variety Test (NVT) from 1999-2004 at three locations was used to estimate yield potential in the state.  A crop budget was generated using typical field operations in research plots.  Estimates indicate that canola production would be profitable 60% of the time at the lowest yielding location, 95% at the time at the mid-yielding location, and 100% of the time at the highest yielding location.  Current plans are to produce 10-20 acre fields at six locations in the state to demonstrate the feasibility of production on a large scale.