Near-Record Diesel Prices Squeeze Wyoming Farmers During Harvest
TORRINGTON, Wyo. — Diesel prices hovering near record highs are squeezing Wyoming farmers and ranchers as the fall harvest gets underway, threatening to erase already thin profit margins, Wyoming News reported Oct. 7.
Fuel is among the largest expenses for agricultural producers, powering the tractors, combines and grain trucks that bring crops in from the field. With diesel prices in Torrington and across the state running near historic peaks, producers say each pass across the field costs noticeably more than last year, and the added expense is eating into returns on wheat, barley, sugar beets and hay.
Agricultural economists say the price surge reflects a combination of tight refining capacity, strong demand and geopolitical tensions affecting global oil markets — including the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, which has kept crude prices elevated. Some analysts note that diesel inventories on the West Coast and in the Rockies have been particularly tight.
Wyoming farm groups are urging policymakers to address energy costs they say threaten the viability of family operations, arguing that farmers cannot pass higher fuel costs on to buyers in commodity markets. They have also pressed for relief measures similar to those proposed in neighboring states.
For now, producers say they have little choice but to keep the combines rolling: the crop has to come in regardless of the price at the pump. But many worry that another season of high input costs could force difficult decisions about acreage and equipment investments next year.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：联合收割机在麦田中作业。摄影：Dan Kollmann，CC BY-SA 3.0，取自 Wikimedia Commons
