Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is urging farmers and agribusinesses to start evaluating how much propane they’ll need to meet grain drying and home and livestock heating demands this fall and winter.
Naig says the derecho that swept through Iowa on August 10th created many unknowns for this year’s harvest. Propane users should anticipate, and suppliers should make plans to accommodate, increased propane demands this fall.
Secretary Naig says that after an ideal planting season and a warm, dry summer, normal crop dry-down was anticipated this fall, but the drought and derecho had significant impacts on our corn fields. He says he is encouraging farmers to take a look at their grain drying and home and livestock heating needs, and formulate a plan with their propane suppliers to make sure their needs are covered and their tanks are full.
The derecho’s sustained, high winds damaged an estimated 3.57 million acres of corn in 36 counties, just a few weeks before the harvest. While the degree of damage varies by field, millions of acres of corn stalks were snapped, flattened or tangled. This will reduce the amount of airflow around the crop, and farmers should anticipate harvested corn will have higher-than-normal moisture levels. Naig advises farmers should start engaging in planning conversations with their local propane suppliers, take advantage of early buying and booking programs, and top off their tanks now before harvest begins.
Naig says high-moisture corn must be dried before the grain can be stored in the bin to prevent grain quality issues. The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Grain Drying Economics Module helps farmers work through corn drying and marketing decisions.
The Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) has created a grain dryer propane use calculator to help crop farmers determine how much propane they may need this fall. Farmers can access the calculator at propane.com/propane-products/grain-dryers/. Enter the number of crop acres, the average anticipated yield per acre, and how much moisture may need to be removed from the crop to estimate how many gallons of propane may be needed.
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Grain Quality Initiative also has resources to help agricultural decision-makers work through grain drying, storage and quality considerations.
