|
|
|
|
|
New
Diesel Sulfur Standard
Puts Spotlight on Ruby Fieldmaster
The value of Ruby Fieldmaster™ Premium
Diesel in your tractors, combines, and other equipment
may become even greater a few months from now.
Here's why: Over 95% of the U.S. Refineries will begin
producing Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel for highway use by June
1, due to the 1990 Clean Air Act.
Retail pumps choosing to sell Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
must switch over to this new standard by October 15.
True, the requirement applies to only clear diesel for
highway use, not off-road uses such as in tractors and
combines. But the practicality of the matter is, clear
diesel is a huge part of the market. And refineries, after
a costly gearing-up to produce Ultra-Low-Sulfur diesel
for that market, will be inclined to produce it for both
the highway and off-road markets.
About fall harvest time, the dyed diesel you buy for your
farm equipment will most likely be Ultra Low Sulfur Deisel.
And, here's where the benefits of Ruby Fieldmaster™with
its superior additive package becomes especially important.
Sulfur in diesel acts as a lubricant. While its removal
reduces harmful pollution into the air, it makes the fuel
"drier," which leads to scarring of metal surfaces. The
injector pump is our biggest concern.
Of all the additives in Ruby Fieldmaster™, lubricity takes
on added importance with the introduction of Ultra Low
Sulfur Diesel.
Sulfur reduction under the new standard is dramatic. The
Clean Air Act required that sulfur content be reduced
from 5,000 parts per million (ppm) to just 500 ppm in
October 1993 for on-road vehicles. The Ultra Low Sulfur
Diesel standard that goes into effect this year reduces
the sulfur content to just 15 ppm! That's why we are especially
concerned about making producers aware of the importance
of Ruby Fieldmaster™, a premium fuel refined and
sold by CHS Inc. under the Cenex® brand.
We don't call this a premium diesel without good reason.
We have spent millions of dollars quality testing and
additive injection equipment. This ensures that the proper
dosage of Ruby Fieldmaster™ additive is blended
with CHS diesel fuel at the terminal loading rack to meet
the features we consider in a must in a premium diesel
fuel. Those features and their functions are:
· High cetane: Promotes quicker, more fuel-efficient
starts.
· Aggressive detergents: Maximize power and fuel economy.
· Lubricity components: Protects the injection pump and
injectors.
· Water demulsibility: Reduces water retention and emulsion
problems.
· Corrosion inhibitors: Extends fuel pump life.
· Stabilizers: Reduce gum and varnish buildup on engine
parts.
All of the additives in Ruby Fieldmaster™ are important,
but detergency and lubricity are critical in today's diesel
fuels. Detergents keep injectors clean allowing for an
optimal spray pattern so that you don't end up with unburned
fuel during combustion. Otherwise, injectors become fouled.
Buildup of deposits leads to poor engine performance.
Because of Ruby Fieldmaster's additives and quality standards,
it is offered with a Total Protection Plan™ warranty.
The warranty covers injectors for 5 years or 5,000 hours,
whichever comes first, and the pump for 9 years or 9,000
hours, on new tractors and combines.
Ruby Fieldmaster™, which has been sold since the mid 1970s,
was developed primarily for farmers. But, it is well suited
to all diesel applications.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The
Importance of Research and Development
Some Trends and Facts:
*There
will be 8 billion people on Earth by 2025!
*We will need more food during the next 30 years than we
had over the last 10,000 years combined!
*Each year, we lose about 50% of the world's crop
to pests (weeds, fungi, insects and rodents)!
*Eliminating plant protection products would require a 5-fold
increase in cropped land, which is not available!
*The clearing of the tropical rain forests in South America
is inevitable and not reversible.
*Most research and development (R&D) in crop protection
products is coming from 3 companies - BASF, Bayer, and Syngenta.
*It costs over $200 million to find and register a new product!
*There have been no new herbicide modes of action identified
in the last 20 years.
*It takes 10 years for today's discovery to get to the
market.
*We need R&D more than we need generic herbicides!
*The new generation of GMO's need to benefit consumers,
rather than growers.
Glyphosate (Roundup) resistance is a challenge, but it is
manageable, even though it may be more expensive. (A weed
may be resistant against a single treatment, but not against
a treatment combination using more than one mode of action.)
In summary, we in agriculture need to support R & D
in crop protection products to insure our future weed control
tools are available. We can do that by supporting,
today, the companies that are spending millions on research
and development. This is why you will see Ag
Valley Coop continue to support crop protection products
from the major manufacturers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
