Record diesel prices strain Iowa farmers ahead of harvest
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Record-high diesel prices are squeezing Iowa farmers as the harvest season approaches. Kinser Jensen, a 32-year-old corn and soybean farmer, says he may have to buy fuel despite the cost. The surge is also hitting homeowners in Maine and New Hampshire who rely on heating oil.
Key Facts
- Diesel and home heating oil prices have surged faster than gasoline in recent months, hitting battleground states ahead of November's midterm elections.
- In Alaska, per-capita usage of diesel and home heating oil is more than four times the national average.
- Maine retiree Steve Hoad faces an additional $230 a month for heating oil since the Iran war started.
- Iowa farmer Kinser Jensen, a 2024 Trump supporter, questions how farmer-friendly the Trump administration has been.
Farm Belt Pressure
Grain Belt farmers are engaged in an energy-intensive race against time and weather, using heavy combines, tractors, and trucks to bring in the crop. Kinser Jensen, who runs a 3,400-acre corn and soybean farm with his 62-year-old father in northeastern Iowa, held off buying diesel after prices skyrocketed at the start of the Iran war. With harvest just weeks away, Jensen says he will have to buy fuel soon despite the cost. Jensen, a 2024 Donald Trump supporter, said the high diesel prices are causing him to question how farmer-friendly the Trump administration has been.
Heating Oil Burden
Many homeowners are filling heating oil tanks for the first time since spring, with large numbers in Maine and New Hampshire depending on heating oil for winter. In rural Windsor, Maine, 75-year-old retiree Steve Hoad faces a choice between postponing repairs to his farmhouse or dipping into savings because heating oil costs him an additional $230 a month since the Iran war started. Hoad described the burden as significant and said he has few options.
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Time · lag behind first