Tomorrow's mechanics learn biofuels
March 3, 2025 | Jeff Hutton
Bridging the gap between soybeans and the future of transportation is happening thanks to an ongoing program designed to help future diesel mechanics.
In partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), MEG Corp conducts biodiesel and diesel workshops for diesel technology programs at six community colleges across Iowa — Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny; Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo; Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs; Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids; and Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar and Peosta.
The goal of the workshops is to equip the next generation of diesel mechanics with a better understanding of biodiesel and diesel and how they work together to power vehicles and equipment. Facilitators of the programs also want to help mechanics move forward in their career absent of a bias against biodiesel and empower these professionals to be able to accurately diagnose and provide recommendations for fuel concerns in the future.
“The next generation of technicians is open to new fuels,” says Lisa Pedderson, director of operations at MEG Corp. “When equipped with accurate information, they can have a positive influence in the workplace and support biodiesel use by their customers. We have seen past students go on to be decision-makers in fleet management and implement biodiesel use in their fleets.”
A valuable lesson
Shea Parsons, instructor and program chairman of DMACC’s Diesel Technology program, says the workshops have proven positive.
“Ultimately, our goal is to make connections between students and employers as easy for everyone involved as possible,” says Parsons.
The workshops, presented by MEG Corp, allows students to get a better understanding of alternate fuels and how they work within diesel engines.
Last year, Parsons invited the DMACC Auto and Collision departments to join in the workshops. There were more than 100 students and faculty present.
“The Auto and Collision departments don’t spend as much time on diesel and biodiesel as we do here in Diesel Tech, but they do cover alternate fuels and were just as interested in what (MEG Corp Founder and President) Hoon Ge had to say,” Parsons says.
He says DMACC’s second-year diesel students spend a lot of time covering fuels and diesel fuel systems and MEG Corp’s presentation fits in perfectly with what they cover in class.
“That ranges from very green first-year students with little shop experience who are ready to get their feet wet with a part-time position, to fairly seasoned second-year students with lots of home, shop and farm experience ready to graduate who want to get started with their careers,” Parsons says.
A ‘win-win for everyone’
Randy Miller, former ISA board president and current District 8 board member, says ISA’s partnership with MEG Corp and community college students is a true win for everyone involved.
“It’s teaching the next generation of mechanics while working with the next generation of fuels,” he says. “Having these products in the system they’re taught in, it’s easier for them to understand and have an appreciation for biofuels.”
Miller says partnerships like the one with ISA, MEG Corp and the six Iowa community colleges, offer a huge step in getting alternative fuels to be more accepted.
“We had some hiccups 20 years ago with biofuels, and it takes time and a willingness for people to accept,” he says. “I remember farmers around me trying biodiesel 20 years ago and just flat out refused to use it.”
But by teaching those young mechanics about the benefits of biofuels, that can change hearts and minds.
“We’re sitting on a pile of soybeans and the crush capacity is going up,” Miller says. “All those beans that are crushed — the oil has to go somewhere, and biofuels is a really good place for it to go.”
He says soybean oil is valuable, but how do you get rid of it?
“The same way you eat an elephant — one bite at a time,” Miller says. “Every little bit of demand you create eats away at that pile of soybeans and that adds to the value of the bean.”
He says ISA recognizes the multiple benefits to these types of programs, from either the farmer perspective, teaching people to use the products that we grow every day or by keeping young mechanics up to date on this technology.
“Incorporating biofuels and teaching those in the industry about it helps reinforce how good that product is for the environment, the industry, farmers and consumers,” Miller says. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
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