This article continues Zach Schaffner’s biodiesel journey from tank cleaning through planting. Read the first article in the series here.
Blessed with a stretch of clear weather for timely planting, followed by much-needed rains, Zach Schaffner’s 2026 crops got off to a great start. Another plus for this planting season: The Michigan farmer had a positive experience using B5 biodiesel for the first time.
Corrigan Oil delivers the first load of B5 fuel to Char-Lin Farms.
Schaffner’s journey with biodiesel started well before planting, as he prepared his diesel storage tank for the first delivery of B5. That’s because previous tests had revealed microbial contamination, water, rust and sediment on the tank bottom
“Cleaning the tank was super important to make sure we didn’t have microbes in the tank before B5 was delivered,” Schaffner notes. A three-person crew from Oscar W. Larson (OWL) Company spent a full day on site to handle the comprehensive cleaning process. Pete Probst, technical director for the Michigan Advanced Biofuels Coalition, was also on hand to supervise the operation.
Pete Probst, MiABC technical director, left, works with a technician from Oscar W. Larson Co. to clean Zach Schaffner’s diesel storage tank.
OWL first drained the old diesel fuel from the tank using a vacuum truck. Afterwards, the crew power-washed the inside of the tank, using a detergent to help loosen and remove microbes, rust and sludge that had built up over the years. The crew used the vac truck again to remove the water and any remaining contaminants from the bottom of the tank. Schaffner then was ready for his first load of biodiesel, delivered by fuel supplier Corrigan Oil.
How B5 Performed at Planting Time
After running on B5 to plant 3,000 acres of soybeans and 2,000 acres of corn over his rolling Lenawee County land, Schaffner was pleased with the fuel’s performance.
“The big takeaway was our fuel efficiency improved this year over last year, when we used petroleum diesel,” Schaffner says.
For corn planting, a powerful John Deere 8335R tractor pulled a 24-row John Deere 1770NT planter and a 2,000-gallon nurse tank loaded with starter fertilizer. Using data from the John Deere Operations Center, Schaffner compared fuel use from the 2025 and 2026 corn planting seasons using the same equipment.
Data showed a 3.4% improvement in fuel use per engine hour for B5 compared to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) the previous year. Accurate comparative data for soybean planting was not available because Schaffner purchased a new, larger planter for soybeans this year.
Char-Lin Farms loads seed corn into the operation’s 24-row John Deere 1770NT planter.
Otherwise, B5 performed equal to ULSD in Schaffner’s corn fields, with no differences in working engine load, field productivity, emissions system performance and other key parameters. (See Table 1.)
“Our operators noticed no differences in performance from the cab,” he says. “In this case, no news is good news. Everything with B5 has gone really well.”
Watch for future updates from Zach Schaffner on his experiences with biodiesel.
Table 1. Zach Schaffner Planting Season Overview and Key Tractor Metrics*
| Metric | Spring 2025 April 14-June 30 | Spring 2026 April 6-June 1 | Notes |
| Engine Hours | 159.4 | 91.4 | Proportional to operation period |
| Fuel Consumed | 905 gallons | 432 gallons | Proportional to hours |
| Avg. Gallons/Hour | 4.68 | 4.52 | 3.4% efficiency advantage for B5 |
| Peak Working Engine Load | 62.1% | 61.0% | Nearly identical |
| DPF Complete Regens | 6 | 4 | Proportional to hours |
| Avg. Wheel Slip | 5.0% | 5.3% | Effectively identical |
| Avg. Working Ground Speed | 5.08 mph | 5.15 mph | Equivalent field productivity |
*John Deere Operations Center data for John Deere 8335R tractor pulling John Deere 1770NT corn planter and nurse tank.
Image Credit: Zach Shaffner, Char-Lin Farms