A grain elevator in DeWitt, Nebraska. (image: Nebraska Farm Boy via flickr.com)
Nebraska’s retail propane prices closely followed the trend in the Midwest last week, posting a two-cent increase on average, according to today’s report from the state energy office. So far, residential propane is a nickel up in the New Year. Meanwhile, wholesale propane price went up three cents, which is also a perfect match with the average increases seen in the Midwest.
All of which is good enough for the Cornhuskers to keep their crown as the low-cost propane king. Iowa was #2. North Dakota was #3.
However, the Nebraska Energy Office concedes there may be lower prices in Oklahoma and Kansas, but neither state pools its propane data. So without the hard numbers, we have no choice but to use the performance of a state’s college basketball team as a “Freakonomics”-style bellwether of its propane prices.
And as it happens, the Nebraska Cornhuskers met the Kansas Jayhawks last Saturday — a game the Jayhawks won by three in a squeaker, 63-60. Could that be a sign of cheaper propane in Kansas? We buy it. Kansas is home to the big Conway propane hub, suggesting lower transportation fees for the state customers.
As for a Nebraska-Oklahoma match-up on the basketball court, that won’t happen till February.