4Farmers is a farmer-owned distribution company that was formed over ten years ago to provide competitive pricing on necessary farming chemicals such as fungicides, fertilisers, seed dressings and animal health products.

The company says its purpose is to provide farmers with necessary supplies based on cost rather than relying on traditional demand-pricing distribution models.

Having tackled the chemicals market with some success, 4Farmers has decided to tackle another major cost for rural and agricultural businesses – fuel.

Last week, 4Farmers handed over a $A5400 cheque to the agriculture department director general Ian Longson to purchase low-cost canola presses manufactured in China for use in the mobile biodiesel exhibit.

Longson said the exhibit demonstrated a canola-based biodiesel production "from oil extraction using the presses to reacting the oil into biodiesel".

Longson said farmers had responded with interest when the exhibit was displayed at field days last year, but the department was not yet able to advise farmers to invest in the technology.

"While on-farm biodiesel production is not yet economically viable, farmers who saw the process were encouraged by the concept of using low-cost presses from countries such as China," Longson said.

The department said its work on biodiesel would provide farmers with information on when on-site biodiesel production will become cost-competitive with fossil diesel, using low-cost equipment to produce biodiesel that meets Australian fuel standards.

The department said it intends to provide additional information on the best use of biodiesel in different farming applications and machinery.

"The generosity of 4Farmers is much appreciated and will help encourage the uptake of biodiesel as a sustainable fuel source for WA growers," Longson said.