If you were looking for propane to dry your grain a year ago, you might have had a hard time finding it. Very high moisture levels in 2019 ran through the available propane in the region and logistical issues kept propane from flowing in. Thankfully, that is not the case this year.
Mike Newland is with the Propane Education and Research Council.
“What a difference a year makes, right? So, 2019 was a tough year. We planted a corn crop incredibly late in a lot of places. 2020 is a much different year. We got the crop planted. Our per bushel usage for propane for crop drying is a fraction of what it was last year, so we’re using a lot less fuel across the country to dry the crop. And so we’re in a much different place when we’re talking this year than we were last year.”
Newland says because of the struggle in 2019, they created a new grain drying calculator tool for 2020 that can be found at propane.com.
“We wanted a tool on the website for corn farmers to go and be able to, early in the season, just do some quick calculations and come up with a gallon projection that they’re going to use to dry their corn crop. We did that for no other reason than we wanted to start the conversation sooner in the fall rather than maybe driving down the road with combine to the first corn field and calling your propane guy and saying, ‘Hey, I need a load.’”
Again, this tool and others can be found at propane.com.