Since the national average cost of diesel hit an all-time high on September 5 and has continued to rise, local TV news stations have made a point to cover how farmers across the country — a group that is disproportionately impacted by these record prices — are hurting as peak harvest season approaches. 

President Donald Trump’s war with Iran has damaged refineries and other infrastructure and triggered a spike in the price of crude oil, adding to an already tight global diesel market. According to AAA, the national average price of diesel was $6.53 per gallon as of September 22, up about 73% since the start of the war, and Trump recently said he does not expect diesel prices to come down anytime soon.

While Fox News and Fox Business have repeatedly attempted to downplay or ignore high fuel costs, local news stations have played an important role in documenting how the Trump administration’s policies have harmed farmers and other Americans. Now, local reporters and the farmers they spoke with said not only are they being hit with $6 diesel, which powers nearly all farm equipment, the farmers are also seeing the cost of production and fertilizer rise. 

• Local news in multiple states referenced a July report from the congressional Joint Economy Committee’s Democratic minority finding that “farmers across the country spent $1.4 billion more on diesel fuel alone during this year’s planting season than they did last year; a 63 percent increase for certain key crops.” In Pennsylvania, WGAL News 8 anchors Brian Roche and Lori Burkholder reported that “farmers spent on average $1,592 more to fill those tanks” during the 2026 planting season compared to 2025. Missouri anchor Anne Allred said on KSDK that “according to that congressional committee report … Illinois farmers are paying $163 million more than they were in the last year, so a lot more than Indiana. That’s higher than any other state. Missouri is the 11th most expensive state, up by $58 million.” [WGAL News 8, 9/9/26; KSDK 5 On Your Side, 9/9/26; U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee — Minority, July 2026]
   
• Kevin Jarek, a regional crop and soil educator at University of Wisconsin, told WBAY anchor Chris Roth that the farmers he works with are feeling “pain” from high diesel prices, adding that “the worst part is we’re not talking about an everyday situation — the timing of this is horrendous because it’s harvest season.” He continued, “If we look at when a farm uses the greatest amount of fuel at any given part of the year, it’s harvest. It doesn’t matter if it’s a grain farm or a dairy farm. This is where we could be anywhere from 30-50% of our total for the year just tied up during this time.” [WBAY Action 2 News, 9/21/26]
   
• Florida cotton and peanut farmer Mickey Diamond told WEAR reporter Claire O’Neil that “probably an average day of harvest is 400-500 gallons a day of fuel,” so the high price of diesel “effects our bottom line considerably.” O’Neil said that “the cost to fill up is nearly $2 a gallon more than last year,” and “fertilizer prices are also climbing.” [YouTube, WEAR Channel 3 News, 9/14/26]
   
• East Tennessee farmer Jodie Moore told WVLT reporter Kaitlyn Walsh, “The gas is just insane and then diesel prices are outrageous,” adding, “It costs almost double, you know, to run anything.” During the report, Walsh said that “to save on diesel, Moore and her family try not to use their diesel truck.” She also noted that “because of high gas and oil prices, some farmers say they may have to raise their prices.” [YouTube, WVLT-TV, 9/14/26]
   
• KCCI 8 News reporter Abigail Kurten spoke with farmer Mark Mueller, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, who said, “I hope this is not the long-term, new level of diesel fuel prices. I’m afraid it is though.” Mueller explained that at $5 per gallon, it would cost him $25,000 to fill up his 5,000-gallon diesel tank, and he may opt not to fill the whole thing. Kurten added, “To make matters worse, we’re only a few weeks out from peak harvest season, leading farmers like Mueller to make tough choices.” [YouTube, KCCI 8 News, 9/11/26]
   
• In Northern Illinois, Rockford News First reporter Miriam Nesemeier spoke with two farmers who said they are bracing for a difficult year because of “record high diesel prices,” a reminder that “farming is not for the faint of heart.” Nesemeier spoke with second-generation farmer Greg Miller and said, “As Miller prepares to harvest corn and soybeans, record diesel prices add another challenge” that “he says will hurt his bottom line.” Citing his 50 years of experience, Miller said, “Farming is not for the faint of heart,” and later added, “It’s not going to be a great year.” Third-generation farmer Kevin Shedd said, “At the end of the day it directly hits the profit line, so that's probably the most worrisome thing.” He continued, “We've had high fertilizer prices, we've had low commodity prices, and so we try to do our best to budget and plan for events. You know, this is a new high, so we're all just adjusting to how we're going to manage it.” [WREX, Rockford News First, 9/10/26]
   
• During a Fox 9 News segment with the chyron “rising fuel costs hit farmers,” fifth-generation Iowa farmer John Maxwell told reporter Olivianna Calmes, “We’ve got combines, we’ve got tractors, we’ve got all sorts of things, semis, that all get filled up. That meter just keeps running hard — double this year. Which is pretty, pretty nasty.” Maxwell also told Calmes that “it’s very frustrating” and “we’re struggling.” [YouTube, Fox 9 News, 9/10/26]
   
• In a segment focused on how record diesel prices are hard on farmers, Kentucky-based reporter Mark Stevens spoke with Indiana farmer Fred Uhl, who said he told another farmer, “Do you realize that it’s going to cost you $150-200 more a day to run your combine?” He added, “Everybody’s talking about fuel. It’s not just ag people. … It’s eating everyone’s bottom line.” Stevens said that Uhl told him “the price of diesel will eat into his bottom line about 30-40%.” The segment appeared across local news stations in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Iowa. [WAVE News, 9/8/26; WNBJ NBC 39, 9/9/26; WPTA 21 Alive News, 9/9/26; KPLC 7 News, 9/9/26; KSDK 5 On Your Side, 9/9/26; WGAL News 8, 9/9/26; WGEM News at Noon, 9/9/26; WITN-TV, 9/9/26; WFMJ Today, 9/10/26]
   
• Alabama reporter Anjolina Fantaroni spoke with row crop and cattle farmer Hannah Creed, who told her, “This last hay harvest we only did one hay cutting because of diesel prices.” Fantaroni said Vaugh Farms depend on diesel for “nearly every part of their operation, including the equipment used to plant, harvest, and transport crops.” According to Fantaroni, “Creed says fertilizer, fuel and other production expenses have all climbed — costs farmers ultimately have to absorb or pass along. Diesel is now about 56% more expensive than it was before the war with Iran began in February, when the national average was around $3.76 a gallon.” [WTVY, 9/7/26]  
   
• WTHR reporter Alex Almanza said that Indiana farmer Philip Ramsey told him, “The fuel tank isn’t the only concern — higher energy prices can also mean higher fertilizer costs and eventually higher costs for consumers.” Ramsey also told Almanza that a gas tax holiday, which Gov. Mike Braun has initiated in Indiana, would not help with diesel prices because the fuel “used offroad and in his combine is already untaxed.” [WTHR, 9/5/26]