Diesel price surge adds $142 per hectare to US apple harvest costs

Apple growers in the U.S. are facing steeply higher harvest costs due to soaring diesel prices. According to UkrAgroConsult, farm diesel prices surged from $3.01 per gallon in September 2025 to $5.61 per gallon in September 2026, an 86% increase. This price spike has added $142.31 per hectare to apple harvest costs, the highest impact among the crops analyzed.

Other specialty crops also saw significant cost increases. Almond growers now face an additional $46.13 per hectare, while potato farmers are dealing with an extra $45.05 per hectare in diesel-related expenses. Among field crops, rice production was hit the hardest, with added costs of $34.59 per hectare. Corn, cotton, soybeans, and winter wheat saw smaller but still notable increases of $19.72, $13.05, $8.80, and $6.18 per hectare, respectively.

The rising fuel prices are also driving up logistics costs, including trucking, rail fuel surcharges, and barge transportation. As a result, the overall impact of higher diesel prices on agricultural production costs could be even greater than current estimates suggest.