With the wet grain being harvested in South Dakota this year comes another problem: a spike in the demand for propane to dry it. Wet grain must be dried before it can be stored or mold will form.

Some Yankton-area farmers are trying to avoid elevator drying costs by using on-farm drying. For many, that means lots of propane. One South Dakota propane dealer says counterparts in Iowa and Illinois are looking for supplies in South Dakota because they are out.

The shortages started about two weeks ago, about the same time farmers were getting the harvest under way.