In a world of spiraling gasoline prices and warring oil-producing nations, the goal Americans must work toward is independence, according to one state official who spoke at the Canola for Biodiesel Field Day Thursday at Bridgeforth Farms, south of Tanner.

Billy Bridgeforth planted 500 acres of canola this spring in conjunction with Alabama A&M; University researchers, Ernst Cebert and Rufina Ward.

The 500 acres in canola are spread out over five sites in Limestone County — Sanderfer Road, U.S. 31, Cowford Road, Browns Ferry Road and near Reid Elementary School.

A relative of collard and cabbage, winter canola contains 40 percent oil by seed weight, making it an excellent feedstock for biodiesel.

State Sen. Parker Griffith, who addressed the group Thursday, serves on a state Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee. He said seeing young men and women sacrificing their lives in Iraq convinced him the U.S. must be independent in both its oil and food supplies.

“It is clear that what we’re talking about here is the kitchen table,” said Griffith. “When I look around my table into the faces of my 10 children and grandchildren I have to ask myself, ‘will they have a better life?’”

Griffith said North Alabama residents driving to work are probably spending the equivalent of a week’s wages on fuel each month.

“The technical aspects (of biodiesel fuel production) we can work out,” said Griffith. “When they launched Sputnik in the mid-50s, the Russians beat us in to space, but we answered the challenge right here in Alabama. We can’t deliver on the American dream without energy and food independence.”

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, as well as area and regional government officials and biodiesel producers attended the field day.

At one time during the lunch hour of the all-day event all three of the tents that seated about 100 people each were filled.

A&M;’s Cebert said that biodiesel fuel can be produced from almost any kind of fat, even the fat left from frying commercially produced potato chips and other snack chips. That fat, once discarded, has now become a hot commodity in fuel production, he said.

“Because of the interest, all prices are going up, including restaurant grease,” said Cebert.

Roger Rinker, CEO of North Alabama Biodiesel in Florence, said he is working with a Tennessee county on a “crushing” facility to press the oil from canola and sunflower seeds.

“We need 20,000 acres of canola and sunflowers,” said Rinker. “We can’t afford to ship it in with today’s high fuel prices, so we need local sources.”

Cebert said he would also like to see some local farmer host a sunflower field day this summer to educate the public on that plant’s potential as an alternate fuel source.

Annie Dee of Dee River Ranch in Aliceville said she planted 200 acres in canola as an energy partner with Auburn University.

“We have a press at our soybean farm,” she said. “We also tried sunflowers, but I said, why not canola?”

Dee said she planted 200 aces and will harvest about 100 this year.

Bridgeforth said he has a buyer for his 500 acres, Robert Davis of Resaca Sun, a vegetable oil processor in Calhoun, Ga.