Corn Belt Farmers Face Propane Crunch

[Elderberry]

Progressive Farmer By 11/11/2019

Propane Demand Outstripping Pipeline Capacity in Parts of Midwest

As of Wednesday morning, Harmony, Minnesota, farmers Jeff and Roxi Thompson were having no problem finding enough propane to dry their corn crop.

That all changed by Wednesday evening.

"We are down to 800 gallons and our supplier called tonight and said he's out of gas and can't tell us when he'll have more," Roxi said. "This means harvest is over until gas is delivered."

The Thompsons are not alone as farmers across the Corn Belt are running into supply bottlenecks at a time when they can ill afford to wait. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declared a regional emergency in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

At the end of last week, governors in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin issued emergency declarations to lift restrictions on carriers for the transportation of heating fuel, including propane. This is expected to help alleviate supply issues in the region.

As of Thursday morning, most reports of supply problems were focused on Iowa and Minnesota.

Seth Meyer, University of Missouri at Columbia research professor and agriculture policy researcher, said for many farmers, the added drying costs from propane supply issues couldn't have come at a worse time.

More: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/farm-life/article/2019/11/11/propane-demand-outstripping-pipeline

[Smokin Joe]

One of the 'benefits' of a wet year...and winter is happening.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

You Midwest farmers love ethanol.

Just make some more and burn it to heat up things instead of forcing it into my car.

[Smokin Joe]

You Midwest farmers love ethanol.

Just make some more and burn it to heat up things instead of forcing it into my car.

Makes you wonder how much of that corn is heading for the ethanol plants....

That's one of the promises Trump made I wish he would not have kept https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-biofuels/u-s-epa-proposes-hike-in-2020-biofuel-mandate-but-waiver-volumes-draw-ire-idUSKCN1U01WI

EPA on Friday said it has proposed increasing the volume of biofuels refiners must blend into their fuel annually to 20.04 billion gallons in 2020, up from 19.92 billion gallons in 2019. The proposed mandate included 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels like ethanol, unchanged from 2019.

Blend requirements are regardless of the amount of gasoline sold, so if less gasoline is sold, the percentage of ethanol will increase (the same volume must be blended into the fuel supply according to the mandate, regardless of what that does to the ethanol content of the fuel. ) The result is that the EPA approved E15 gasoline, even though it voids some car warranties and only will be likely to compound the problems caused by E10 in fuel systems in older vehicles.
That doesn't even go into the issue of reduced mileage...

[PeteS in CA]

Propane is still used for corn dryers? Wow. I guess if something works well it should not be "fixed". Back in the 60s my Dad grew corn and had a propane-fired corn dryer (basically a large fan that blew propane heated air through a large bin of newly harvested corn). I went to sleep on summer night to the siren-like sound of the fan and the periodic billows of flame. Once a batch of corn reached the desired low moisture range the fan kept running for a while without any flame to cool the corn.

[Smokin Joe]

Propane is still used for corn dryers? Wow. I guess if something works well it should not be "fixed". Back in the 60s my Dad grew corn and had a propane-fired corn dryer (basically a large fan that blew propane heated air through a large bin of newly harvested corn). I went to sleep on summer night to the siren-like sound of the fan and the periodic billows of flame. Once a batch of corn reached the desired low moisture range the fan kept running for a while without any flame to cool the corn.

Yep, and it will be until something better comes along. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The fallacy of introducing 'alternative energy' and making it desirable only through fiscal incentives sustained by tax dollars is not only expensive for the taxpayers, it ensures less efficient methods will be used. There are reasons things are done the way they have been done, based on convenience, safety, and effectiveness. and without the bludgeon of edict and the carrot of 'incentives', other methods which aren't otherwise as suitable would not even be considered. If those alternatives were truly better, they'd be used without the force of law or the bribery of tax schemes.