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Wet conditions could lead to higher propane bills this harvest

A south-central Iowa farmer says the wet start to harvest will likely lead to an uptick in propane expenses.

“There’s going to be a considerable amount of grain that’s going to have to be dried this fall.”

Steve Kuiper tells Brownfield fall production costs are adding up fast.

“It depends on if you’re using your local elevator to dry or if you are doing it yourself,” he said. “If you do it yourself, you could put 15 or 18 cents on the cost of a bushel of corn pretty quick having to run it through a dryer. It’ll possibly be higher than that it just depends on how wet the corn is.”

He says the persistent moisture the last couple of weeks is keeping him out of the field.

“The 5^th of October is what we were talking about for when we’ll end up starting.”

Kuiper raises corn and soybeans near Knoxville in Marion County.