SCRAMBLE FOR PROPANE MARKS MOTHER NATURE’S LATEST CHALLENGE –

Normally, farmers use propane as fuel for grain dryers to reduce moisture levels in corn crops to ready for sale or to safely store the grain. But the extraordinarily wet spring delayed planting, and a waterlogged fall delayed harvesting and produced wet crops. That caused a surge in propane demand among crop farmers, even as livestock producers are buying to keep their barns warm and rural homeowners try to heat their homes – all of which is straining aging infrastructure used to deliver that fuel. (Reuters)