March Energy News

Mar 03, 2023


Winter Propane

March 2023.

So much for March coming in like a lion. I’m writing this late February and although we received a late February storm, the 10 day forecast looks like March is going to be coming in like a lamb instead. But that depends on your perspective. My lamb is another person’s lion. 

Regardless of which mammal you choose to describe the beginning of March, I think we can all agree that winter will soon be over. Speaking of mammals, if you have a dog and you have been relishing the fact that you didn’t have to pick up the canine landmines all winter, our drivers would really appreciate it if you could clean them up before they need to make the last delivery of the season. You’ll never forget the experience of rewinding a hose through a bunch of thawed out doggy doo-doo. It sticks in your mind. And on your clothes. Thank you for your cooperation on this poopy matter. 

Once the weather warms up, we’ll continue our ongoing leak tests. If we haven’t done a leak test on your home or business, we’ll be contacting you to get it done. Usually we can do it from outside the home but we may need access to the home if there are pilot lights or if we detect a leak. We attach a gauge to the regulator on the tank, shut the valve off and see if we have a drop in pressure. If it holds, it’s good. If there is a drop in pressure, we need to look into it further to figure out the cause. 

If you have installed a new propane appliance in your home or business over the winter, you are required to allow us to do a leak test on your system. Not only is it a state statute, it’s a really smart thing to do. We can test the entire system, from the tank to the appliances. There is no charge for the test unless we find something in the system that needs to be repaired or replaced. Let’s get 2023 off to a safe start. 

Taking a look at the world markets, oil prices are experiencing the same volatility that we’ve seen over the last couple of years. The war in Ukraine has made it worse and now with China awakening from their COVID slumber their oil consumption is increasing dramatically. I expect this volatility to continue for the foreseeable future, often driven by headlines. 

If you are a farmer and are contemplating locking in your diesel fuel through November, give one of our energy locations a call. We can offer you opinions but no one is really sure where energy prices are going. We offer diesel and gasoline delivery at all of our energy locations with the exception of Dodge.
I’m having my 61st birthday in March. I qualify for the senior citizen discount pretty much everywhere now. I thought that was only for old people, but I guess I should be grateful, not only for the discounts but also that I’ve made it to the ripe old age of 61. 

Thank you for your business and enjoy the rest of winter. 
 

Tim Lease

Division Manager

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Dec 04, 2023
There are many concerns on cost of feed as it is one of the highest input costs in raising livestock.  Many times, we look at cost per head per day to evaluate the cost versus the return on investment in evaluating feed program decisions. Typically, this comes down to the cost per ton on a purchased feed being used to supplement other on farm stored feed. This is a business practice to execute since it has a direct impact on out-of-pocket costs and cash flow. I want to point out other ways to help overall profitability that I know the astute farm managers already are implementing on their farms. How you store and manage forages for farms with ruminants can have a large impact on feed used versus feed wasted. Here  are the points to examine.
Dec 04, 2023

We have completed our annual financial audit and I’m very pleased to report that your cooperative had another solid year in 2023. With highlights including consistent year over year growth from our feed division to lead our company in total sales to our energy team rebounding with the largest improvement to net income over the prior year, each division completed the year with strong sales and positive earnings. Premier will report our fiscal 2023 local net savings of $15 million and total revenues of just over $308 million will exceed previous records. Based on the strong 2023 results, and those of many prior years, we anticipate returning approximately $6 million in cash back to our members in the spring of 2024.