Diesel Prices Reach Record Highs, Slamming US Farmers

The price of diesel fuel has reached record highs in the US, causing problems for many farmers who rely on it to power their equipment during harvest season. On September 4th, the national average price of diesel hit a record $5.85 per gallon, and by Friday, it had risen even higher to an average of $6.05 per gallon, according to AAA.

This is particularly bad timing for farmers who are already dealing with increased costs for fertilizer, seeds, and equipment. 'Those prices hurt,' said Paul Mitchell, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He noted that it's not just the harvesting process that's affected by high diesel prices, but also the hauling of grain or silage from the field to the farm.

A corn and soybean farmer near Forest City, Missouri, Jason Kurtz, said he was paying twice as much for diesel this year compared to last. His combine uses 200 gallons of fuel per day, and with the high prices, it's cutting into his bottom line.