Propane’s Bright Future In Agriculture Continues To Grow

Propane has a strong history in agriculture and has a bright future, said Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). Perkins made his remarks during a presentation last November at the World LP Gas Association’s World Forum in Florence, Italy. The use of propane for a wide variety of agricultural applications and equipment is steadily increasing across the U.S.

In a presentation titled, “Agricultural Market Development in the United States,” Perkins discussed various applications of propane on the farm, noting that grain drying offers high demand in a short season for propane marketers, with each grain dryer using 20,000 gallons or more per season. Also, a livestock heater can use 30,000 gallons or more per season, and each greenhouse heater can use 20,000 gallons or more. An irrigation engine can use 5000 gallons annually. Perkins showed a prototype New Holland tractor and noted that propane-fueled tractors offer a 20% to 40% fuel savings compared to diesel.

In another presentation at the World Forum titled, “Steps to Grow Gallons: LPG-Powered Agriculture Tractors,” Cinch Munson, PERC director of agriculture business development, noted that the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that tractors in the U.S. consume nearly 3 billion gallons of diesel per year. Munson highlighted a partnership between PERC and New Holland Agriculture, mentioning that the two organizations are working on a project to “define the technical feasibility and market receptivity of a propane-powered tractor in two distinct consumer segments that purchase small to mid-range agricultural tractors.”