Services
Propane for farms and orchards
American River Gas delivers propane to farms and orchards across the Placer, Nevada and El Dorado county foothills for barns, shops, brooders, irrigation engines, and flame weeders. We size and set the tanks, run gas lines to each building, leak test the system and keep it supplied with Keep Full automatic delivery.
Updated · American River Gas office, Newcastle
What propane runs on a working farm
A farm rarely uses propane for just one thing. The same fuel that heats the house can warm a shop, run a brooder and power an irrigation engine. Because propane is stored on your own ground, it is there when the grid is not. List the equipment you run now and anything you plan to add, and the office can help you think through tank size and placement.
- Space heat for shops, barns, packing sheds and farm offices
- Brooders and heat for young poultry and livestock
- Irrigation pump engines
- Flame weeders and torches
- Crop dryers
- Water heaters for wash-down and the farmhouse
Irrigation engines when the power is unreliable
Pumping water is the job a farm can least afford to lose in the heat of summer. PERC published a case study on July 28, 2026 about a Fresno County tree fruit and almond grower who compared an electric, a diesel and a propane irrigation engine on three wells over a 10-day cycle. By PERC's account, propane had the lowest cost per 10-day irrigation cycle, saving up to $14,000 compared to electricity, and kept running when blackouts and curtailment threatened the electric pumps. Your costs will depend on your wells, engines and fuel prices, so treat that as one grower's result.
In the foothills, PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs add another reason to look at an engine that does not depend on the grid.
Brooders and barn heat
Young birds and animals need steady heat, and propane brooders and barn heaters run from a tank on your own ground.
We supply the propane side of that setup: the tank, the gas line to the heater, and the fuel. Tell the office which heaters you run and for how many hours, and we will size the tank from there.
Fuel that keeps until you need it
PERC notes that propane does not degrade or gel in cold weather, so fuel delivered in a slow month is still good in a busy one. PERC also points out that more than 80 percent of grain dryers in the U.S. run on propane.
Keep Full sets delivery timing from outdoor temperatures and your past use. When you add an irrigation engine, a dryer or a new barn heater, tell the office, because your old usage history will not show that new load. If you order your own deliveries, call when the gauge reads about 30%, and delivery usually comes within a week on your area's route day.
Help paying for propane farm equipment
PERC runs the Propane Farm Research Program, which it says can pay farmers up to $10,000 toward propane-powered equipment such as irrigation engines and heating systems in exchange for sharing performance data. PERC sets the rules and the amounts, so check propane.com for the current terms before you buy.
Tanks and lines on ground that gets worked
Tank size decides the spacing. Placer County's handout for installations below 5,000 feet lists 10 feet from buildings and property lines for 126 to 500 gallon tanks and 25 feet for 501 to 2,000 gallon tanks. The same handout sets at least 12 inches of cover over underground gas piping, and 18 inches where the pipe could be damaged by outside forces, which is worth thinking about anywhere a tractor crosses. Plastic lines also need a tracer wire so they can be found later.
Our delivery hose reaches 120 feet, so set the tank where the truck can get close in wet weather. A leak test is required when a system is new, when an appliance is added and after repairs or shut-offs, and each appliance needs a shut-off valve within 6 feet. If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call 911 and us from outside.
Questions
Straight answers
Can propane run an irrigation pump?
Yes. Propane irrigation engines are made for that job. We set the tank and run the gas line to the pump site; the engine itself comes from your pump or equipment dealer.
Can you add a separate tank for a shop or brooder house?
Yes. We set additional tanks and run underground lines to outbuildings. Call (530) 888-7438 to talk through placement and access.
Where can I fill cylinders for a flame weeder or torch?
Bring them to our yard at 10290 Ophir Road in Newcastle, Monday through Friday 8:00 to 4:30, closed noon to 1:00.
What should the office know before the first delivery?
Where the tank sits, gate codes, livestock in the delivery path, soft or steep ground, and seasonal road conditions. That helps plan the right approach for the truck.
Related
Related services
Propane for Farms & Orchards across our service area
Sources: PERC: Propane-powered irrigation delivers major cost savings for California grower (July 28, 2026) (opens in a new tab) · PERC: How filling propane tanks early can pay off during harvest season (Aug. 20, 2025) (opens in a new tab) · Placer County Building Services: Liquid propane gas tank installation below 5,000 ft elevation (opens in a new tab)
Newcastle yard · since 1966
Questions about propane?
Call the office and talk to a real person. Or leave your details and we call you back.
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (closed noon-1:00 PM)
After hours, weekends and holidays, our answering service reaches a staff member.
