US diesel prices at record $6: American farmers feel the heat as harvest season begins

The higher fuel costs are also affecting the movement of crops, from fields to farms and eventually to buyers.“Those prices hurt," Paul Mitchell, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told AP. It’s the hauling of everything, moving the grain or the silage from the field to the farm and then from the farm to wherever they're selling it.”For farmers, diesel is difficult to avoid during harvest. Jason Kurtz, who grows corn and soybeans near Forest City, Missouri, said his fuel bill had doubled this year. His combine alone burns about 200 gallons (760 litres) of diesel each day, and he expects to operate it for 30 days. “There are a lot of farms facing that.”Kurtz, who voted for US President Donald Trump, said he planned to postpone some farm work in the hope that diesel prices would ease later.

Source: Times of India September 12, 2026 02:29 UTC