I don't doubt that.
What I have a problem believing is that crop drying had anything to do with it.
I work, on an everyday basis, with farmers, grain storage bin fans, dryers, etc.
The crops were not unusually moist this year, they didn't harvest any earlier than average, so they wouldn't have needed to dry any more than average.
The one week draw down, in my opinion, was people filling their propane tanks while the price was cheaper to stock up for the winter.
If that was the cause, the seasonal drawdown should reflect the average. That is not the case. Significantly more was withdrawn than in past years. Measuring 13 weeks starting with the beginning of Sept:
Fall 2005 15001
Fall 2006 14600
Fall 2007 14849
Fall 2008 13298
Fall 2009 15430
Fall 2010 13190
Fall 2011 13151
Fall 2012 16196
Fall 2013 17622
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=wprup_nus_2&f=4
I thought this would contribute to the conversation.
Propane shortage impacting corn harvest
http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/blog/propane-shortage-impacting-corn-harvest
Oct. 29, 2013
As we head into November, growers become more concerned with getting corn harvest completed before winter conditions set in. Most of the corn currently being harvested in many areas is still at 18-26% moisture, as a result of later-than-normal planting last spring. The corn moisture content has not dropped significantly since early October, due to the extended cool, damp weather pattern across the region. Corn should be dried to about 15-16% moisture before going into an on-farm grain bin for safe storage until next spring or summer.