Agriculture

How the Clean Heat Standard Will Impact Farmers

Propane is essential to the agriculture industry. Farmers choose propane for its eco-friendliness, versatility, and affordability. Without access to affordable propane, farmers and agricultural businesses will experience increased energy costs, operational disruptions, potentially reduced crop yields, access issues, and a loss of sustainable practices. Many of these challenges will trickle down to affect residents and consumers as well.

Agricultural Propane Uses

• Running harvesters, mowers, and other farming equipment
• Heating greenhouses and other indoor grow areas
• Running anti-frost crop warming equipment
• Heating poultry houses and livestock areas
• Flame weeding and clearing fields
• Powering irrigation engines
• Running generators
• Drying crops

How These Challenges Will Affect the Community

All the added costs could affect this region’s farmers’ ability to compete with other farms, especially if they are not subject to similar restrictive energy laws. The higher operational costs that farms will face will lead to higher prices for farm products, impacting the community. The Clean Heat Standard, as it is, will impose great financial and operational strain on farmers. It may even force many to go out of business.

Environmentally friendly propane soil steam technology uses steam to sanitize soil, killing pathogens, pests, and weed seeds. This equipment uses propane to heat water and create steam, which is then injected into the soil.

• Reduces the need for chemical pesticides or herbicides
• Reduces weeding times by 73% compared to standard herbicide ₁
• Increased lettuce yields by 25% where lettuce drop was present ₁
• Aligns with sustainable farming principles and practices
• Effectively eliminates a wide range of soil pathogens and weed seeds
• Relies solely on heat while remaining extremely effective

1. Data provided by The Propane Education & Research Council.