Correct.
Biodiesel works economically because it is proped up by subsidies.
I would suspect the energy put in to creating it is much higher than a comparable fossil diesel.
But such things to get better with scale, and we, unlike the rest of the world, have a darn lot of farmland in this country that is under-utilized.
I'm not sure about that. Biodiesel is essentially vegetable oil, and cheap vegetable oil is less expensive per gallon than diesel.
I haven't studied the economics of it all, but on the surface, it looks like biodiesel is cheaper than petroleum diesel fuel. There are other drawbacks, of course, but I don't think price is one of them.
If we have to initially subsidize the development and get it up to scale, then I am in complete favor of doing so. I'd love to see our American farmers be the one to drive a stake into the pig heart of the muslim oil producers. Oh, and let's drill ANWR to pay off the subsidies !!!