Four acres of sunflowers brighten UNH’s Kingman Farm in Madbury this summer. But they’re not just pretty faces – they’re an experiment in alternative fuels.

In collaboration with local farmer Dorn Cox, UNH Cooperative Extension has planted five hybrid varieties of sunflowers to evaluate their potential as a biofuel crop. Researchers will measure seed and oil yields and will evaluate the economics and feasibility of sunflower oil production by New Hampshire growers.

“The planting and harvesting is done using planters and combines that corn growers or small grain growers might already have,” says Becky Grube, sustainable horticultural crop specialist for Cooperative Extension. “Once pressed, the oil can be used to make biodiesel, either directly or after culinary use, and the remaining meal can be used for cattle feed.”