The main reason for the new facility adjacent to the Cargill plant is to make more fuel out of soybeans to help lower high gas prices and to help raise Missouri soybean prices.

"We'll have 40 million gallons more of biodiesel," said Dave Durham, farmer and chairman of Paseo Fuels. "We'll be able to service all of those industries that want to use it out there."

Experts said biodiesel is a cleaner-burning fuel which performs like petroleum diesel. The federal Renewable Fuels Standard Act requires 7.5 billion gallons of biodiesel nationwide by 2012.

"Biodiesel is definitely ready to compete again as we have capacity come online and projects like this come online," said Roger Watchorn, Cargill's Kansas City manager.

When the new biodiesel facility is done by next summer, Cargill and soybean producers hope it will help the U.S. become less dependent on foreign fuels.