TROY — High diesel fuel prices are increasing operational costs for local farmers in Ohio, creating financial pressure that impacts food prices for consumers regardless of whether they drive a diesel vehicle.
The average price of diesel in Ohio has reached $6.80 per gallon.
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Jared Pincin, associate professor of economics at Cedarville University, explained that higher transportation and agricultural fuel expenses trigger a trickle-down effect across the economy.
“If diesel prices are higher for farmers, if they’re higher for trucking companies, they will look to pass on, if they can, those higher prices to consumers,” Pincin said.
At Fulton Farms in Troy, fuel expenses mount quickly during peak harvest periods. Josh Fulton, president of Fulton Farms, said he had to increase prices on some produce to compensate for elevated diesel costs.
“In a day, you could easily bring several hundred dollars in a day during harvest season,” Fulton said.
“We are trying to try to pinch pennies where we can, but you got to have it. You know, it doesn’t matter when it’s time to harvest, it’s time to harvest; trucks got to move.”
To help manage expenses, Fulton Farms utilizes alternative revenue streams that require less fuel usage.
“Our farm does a lot with... Entertainment and the hay rides, pumpkin stuff like that not near as demanding for the diesel,” Fulton said.
Rising fuel prices also directly affect farms that rely on regional transportation for produce. Logan Flatt, owner of Monnin Fruit Farm in Dayton, said his business relies on truck shipments because much of his inventory comes from out of state.
“Getting apples trucked in from Michigan, I mean, that definitely adds up diesel prices as known, as directly associated with trucking costs,” Flatt said.
Looking ahead to next year’s budget, Flatt is focusing on local crop yields and fuel management.
“We hope that we can have a full apple crop not have to ship in nearly as many and then it’s just really about managing what we can using diesel as responsibly as we can,” Flatt said.
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