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Food manufacturing and production facilities are often located in remote or rural areas for strategic reasons. These types of locations could experience limited energy choices. Fortunately, propane is available everywhere, no matter how remote, to meet the significant energy demands of food processing facilities.
Design-build firm A M King notes that more food processing clients are seeking to build new greenfield facilities vs. expanding existing facilities. A greenfield facility is a completely new plant built from the ground up on undeveloped land, typically with no existing infrastructure. These building projects are also becoming larger and more complex, which requires more acreage that can only be found in remote locations.
Remote locations can offer additional benefits to food processing businesses beyond abundant land:
- Proximity to raw materials: Food processors, especially those handling raw farm products, choose rural locations to reduce transportation costs and ensure freshness. Food manufacturing is the largest industry in the United States rural manufacturing sector.
- Lower land aquisition and operating costs: Land in rural areas is more affordable, making it economically feasible for companies to build large-scale, modern greenfield facilities. Lower construction, utility, and tax rates in these areas also reduce operating expenses.
- Access to labor: Rural areas offer a skilled workforce with experience in agriculture and manufacturing. Food processing also provides job opportunities that diversify the economies of rural communities.
- Specialized infrastructure: Rural regions often offer access to the specific resources needed for large-scale production, such as ample water supply and wastewater treatment capacity.
- Government incentives: Many state and federal programs, like the USDA’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, offer grants and incentives to strengthen rural food supply chains.
Propane is a versatile energy source for food industry facilities such as farms, dairies, food processing plants, and bakeries. In each of these sectors, food safety and efficient production processes are paramount. Backup power is particularly important, because an interruption to operations will significantly impact the bottom line.
While both natural gas and propane can meet these needs, many rural areas lack natural gas infrastructure. Propane, on the other hand, is available anywhere, enabling businesses to locate their facilities wherever business needs dictate. Even if natural gas IS available, it may be cost prohibitive to extend the lines. Propane offers the ability to have on-site energy, and to be less dependent on the electric grid and public utilities such as natural gas.
Applications:
- Process heating
- Water heating
- Commercial cooking
- Refrigeration
- Forklifts
- Backup power
Applications in Agriculture
Farms that produce grains, fruit, and vegetables may use propane for irrigation, grain drying, crop production, and processing. Propane is the primary fuel for over 80% of grain dryers, enabling on-farm drying to preserve crop quality and prevent spoilage. Propane-powered pumps are used to deliver irrigation water to crops, providing a reliable energy source for irrigation systems.
Propane flame weeding torches allow farmers to manage weeds in organic systems and where herbicide resistant weeds are hard to manage. Propane-powered heaters and wind machines protect crops from frost by circulating warm air. In greenhouses, propane can be used for space heating and to generate carbon dioxide for enhanced plant growth. This extends the growing season and increases crop yields.
Fresh food is a farm’s first priority. Propane chillers ensure that produce remains fresh, reducing waste, and preserving the quality of perishable goods. Propane can also provide backup power for farming operations during power outages so that food does not spoil.
Dependability in Dairies
Dairies are complex operations that use propane throughout the entire pasteurization process, from boiling to bottling, and for cooling, refrigeration, and backup power. Consistent temperature control is crucial for food safety and maintaining the quality of milk, which helps dairy farms meet processor quality standards. Low-emission propane boilers can be used to heat-treat milk, for domestic hot water needs, and space heating. Hot water is also used for sanitization, which is vital to ensure clean facilities that produce a safe product.
In addition, propane-powered refrigeration units provide a dependable way to cool milk, even in areas with unreliable or expensive electricity or during power outages. They ensure consistent temperature control for perishable products.
Fueling Food Processing Facilities
Food processing facilities such as canning facilities and potato chip factories use propane for a variety of cooking appliances, including grills, deep fryers, ovens, and canning equipment.
Commercial bakeries use propane for its consistent, reliable, and precise heat control to power a variety of equipment as well, including ovens, stoves, and water heaters. Propane ovens deliver consistent, moist, and even heat and offer quick recovery times for high-volume operations.
Propane-Fueled Forklifts
Warehouses on farms, dairies, and food processing facilities should consider using propane-fueled forklifts to move product and equipment, as their emissions are low enough to operate both indoors and out. Propane forklifts reduce NOx and hydrocarbon emissions by 94 percent versus diesel. Electric forklifts quickly lose power and their capital costs are 30% higher, while propane forklifts provide 100% power throughout operation, with one cylinder covering an entire eight-hour shift.
Whether planning for expansion of an existing food processing facility or designing a new greenfield site, choose propane for process heating, water heating, commercial cooking, refrigeration, forklifts, and backup power. Propane not only powers food industry facilities, but it delivers significant cost savings, produces fewer emissions than diesel or gasoline, and is an abundant energy source that is available to food producers anywhere, even in the most remote locales.