Special Report

Propane checkoff funds search for ag applications

Mark Leitman with the Propane Education and Research Council at Commodity Classic, San Antonio, Feb. 27, 2014.

For every gallon of oderized propane sold, a checkoff of .4 of one cent is collected to be used for research, safety and training programs. That’s according to Mark Leitman, who directs business development and marketing for the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC). The organization, by law, maintains a commitment to agriculture, said Leitman, which keeps PERC constantly looking for new agriculture technologies in which to invest, as well as seeking new propane-based applications for agriculture. “Take a grain dryer, for example, and mKe it better,” Leitman told Brownfield Ag News. Many irrigators switched from diesel power to propane because of cost savings, according to Leitman. A non-scientific anecdotal comparison showed a fuel savings of 36 percent and a cost savings of 57 percent. Last fall’s crop drying demand and the cold winter resulted in a propane price spike, said Leitman, but what the propane industry learned from that will help it’s prevention in the future.

AUDIO: Mark Leitman (3 min. MP3)

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