Natural gas prices prompt interest from area farmers
The current low cost of natural gas has drawn attention recently from area farmers. Ten new natural gas-powered grain dryers were installed throughout MGE's gas service territories. Seven of those were either conversions from other fuels or new installations from farmers opting to dry grain themselves. A typical year might see only one conversion.
Grain dryers remove the moisture content from corn and soybeans so these crops don't rot or mold during storage.
Why convert to natural gas and onsite drying?
- The savings of drying the crops locally can be significant. (Individual farmers in the Madison area can produce between 35,000 and 1 million bushels a year.)
- Avoids commercial drying and off-site storage costs.
- Increases profit and marketing potential of the grain.
In addition to the new customers, three new dryers were installed on farms that had older, smaller grain dryers.
