Counting sheep and keeping farms warmer with LPG

While things look all very cute and cuddly, lambing does bring with it various challenges for the farmer.

Inclement weather is of course one of the many concerns. Keeping ewes and their new offspring warm and safe is high on the list of priorities. It isn’t unknown for the UK to experience un-seasonally cold weather and even snow in March and April.

As with many things in life, best laid plans don’t always go quite to plan! When a farmer’s profits are reliant on the production of a healthy flock of lambs, it’s understandable that steps need to be in place to try and mitigate the biggest risks in order to keep things running smoothly.

It’s very common for sheep to birth multiple lambs; sometimes as many as five, but often it will be twins or triplets.  When multiples of more than two are born the smallest will be moved and paired with a ewe who has lost a lamb, or will be hand reared using powdered lambs milk from a bottle. This has to be done in order to give the smaller lambs a chance to grow and thrive.

Heating up barns and sheds

The ability to heat water in addition to heating barns or out buildings to take the chill off is particularly important during lambing season.

Hypothermia is a big risk for very young lambs and is often the result of direct exposure to sudden cold weather. Farmers need to keep the lambs warm and comfortable especially as they have been separated from their mother and requiring to be bottle fed.

You may have heard tales about baby lambs being kept warm in the bottom of the Aga, but LPG and bioLPG gives farmers the flexibility to keep lambs warm outside in barns and sheds if emergency situations do occur. Of course, in the UK, bad weather can sometimes hit when it is least expected or wanted so it’s good to have steps in place for in case the worst does happen.

Instant Hot Water

Hot water and the facility to boil kettles and wash equipment is also necessary. LPG is a reliable source of hot water giving immediate heat when it’s needed quickly. In fact LPG for heating water is one of the key uses in agricultural settings, in addition to keeping barns warm for grain drying and livestock.

LPG and bioLPG

LPG has a number of unique benefits for farmers. Often farms in off-grid, rural locations will use heating oil or solid fuel, LPG is a transitional fuel with much lower carbon intensity than other off-grid fuels. It readily evaporates so it poses no environmental risks in the event of spillages, and it isn’t odourless, making it easier to detect leaks.

Due to the transitional nature of LPG it can be switched easily for bioLPG which is chemically the same as LPG but contains even lower carbon emissions of up to 90%. It’s made from a variety of renewable and sustainable sources including waste products, feedstocks and even used cooking oil.

Farmers looking to switch from LPG to bioLPG to further reduce their carbon emissions can do so simply and easily as no infrastructure changes are required and all existing equipment remains the same. You can even top up an LPG tank with bioLPG due to the level of similarity between the two fuels.

Read more about the benefits of LPG and bioLPG

To find out more about LPG you can search for a local supplier here

You can read our Codes of Practice and find out more about the safe use of items such as cylinders here