Officials urge people to fill their propane tanks early

Officials with the Missouri Propane Education and Research Council are urging folks to buy their propane a little early this year.

Floor manager Jason Barton says as of right now, his Westlake Ace Hardware store is only seeing a few propane customers a week. Barton says, “some people still like to grill, others might use propane heaters or buddy heaters for things like that, either being out in the cabin or deer hunting, that type of thing”.

Last year’s prices around the state drastically increased because of a higher demand, due to high exports and crop harvest needs.

“The prices did go up because of the shortage and everything”, says Barton.

I reached out to officials with the Missouri Propane Education and Research Council, although they weren’t available for an interview today, they did tell us that last year, 365 million gallons of propane were sold state wide. The year before, just 65 million. They also said more than 30 states saw a shortage last year.

“Might have a shortage and the price may go way up because people are having trouble getting it”, agrees Barton.

Officials say that if you’re looking at buying a large amount of propane, a good idea is to sign a contract, so that you lock in that lower price, before prices rise.