Six local fire departments in Roseau-Lake of the Woods counties recently received some welcome support from area soybean farmers and their checkoff dollars. Six fire departments in Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Badger, Williams and Baudette each received a $100 donation of biodiesel. Without locally trained volunteers, rural communities would face longer response time to calls for aid.

“The Roseau-LOW County Soybean Growers know and appreciate the dedication each of our counties’ volunteer firemen contribute to keeping our homes and farms safe,” said Board Director Jim Kukowski, who also represents Minnesota on the American Soybean Association. “We are thankful for their service to our communities and are proud to support them with biodiesel that uses soybeans raised here in Minnesota.”

Fire departments throughout the state rely on the generous support of residents, communities and organizations to assist in the purchase of new or updated equipment and trucks that enable them to provide only the best in rescue and emergency services to their communities. These recent donations will be used for the purchase of biodiesel for their trucks.

The Roseau-LOW County Soybean Growers Association is affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff dollars on behalf of the nearly 28,000 soybean farmers in Minnesota. The Council is governed by the rules of a federally mandated checkoff program that requires all soybean producers to pay a fee on the soybeans they sell. This money is used to promote, educate and develop market opportunities for soybeans.