For the first time ever, Illinois’ average diesel price hit $6 a gallon, according to the gas price-tracking website GasBuddy. Indiana also reached $6, and as of Monday, the price was a penny shy of its diesel record set back in 2022.
The high fuel prices have farmers and truck drivers shaking their heads.
Being a farmer requires a certain level of optimism, especially with fuel prices as high as they are now.
“When you farm, you see great years and you see tough years, and you just have to tighten your belt up and make it work,” said Tom Murphy, a farmer from northwest Indiana.
“So you would say this is a tough year?” asked NBC Chicago’s Rose Schmidt.
“It’s going to be a tough year,” Murphy said.
How tough?
As Murphy sprayed micronutrients on a field near Hebron, Indiana, he used the sprayer machine as an example.
“It burns about three quarters of a gallon an acre. So, in a day, you might burn 100 gallons of fuel. So you’re looking at $200 more to run the sprayer,” Murphy said.
Because fertilizer and nitrogen also cost more, he estimated he’s spending $100 more an acre this year for 4,000 acres. It’s a grand total of $400,000. He said a tanker full of diesel has doubled since December from $2.50 a gallon to $5 a gallon.
Truck drivers are feeling those increased costs, as well.
“It was before about $400 or $500. Now it’s almost $700, $800 to fill up a tank,” said truck driver Miguel Angel Hernandez.
So, who’s to blame for the high prices?
“I just think this whole war thing is crazy. Even gas prices for my personal vehicle are ridiculous,” said truck driver Michael Bondra.
As for Murphy, he said he could point fingers in several places, but he’s focused on the task at hand. He’s grateful he prepaid for fertilizer in January.
“Everything’s in cycles, and right now, it’s just an expensive cycle,” he said.
Indiana and Illinois are two states where gas prices overall have risen the most since the war began, along with Ohio and Michigan, according to data compiled by NBC News.
