A new California Farm Bureau survey of more than 1,000 producers found diesel costs placing significant financial strain on agricultural operations across the state, increasing costs, further squeezing already thin margins.
The findings include more than half of California farmers say lower diesel prices would help keep their operation financially viable.
And farmers say diesel savings would be reinvested into workers' operations and farm infrastructure.
The average price of diesel in California yesterday was $8.45 a gallon, the highest in the country today.
As AgriPulse reported, CAFB has been pushing for Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to follow President Donald Trump's lead and temporarily allow vehicles using red diesel on public roads.
In the survey, farmers told CAFB they've had to sell property because they could no longer afford fuel or equipment.
That spiking of big inputs like diesel causes uncertainty and that increased diesel costs have eliminated any potential profit from the 2026 crop.
But the biggest impact on prices is the continuing conflict in Iran, which shows little sign of a resolution, University of California economists have told AgriPulse.
A new California Farm Bureau survey of more than 1,000 producers found diesel costs placing significant financial strain on agricultural operations across the state, increasing costs, further squeezing already thin margins.
The findings include more than half of California farmers say lower diesel prices would help keep their operation financially viable.
And farmers say diesel savings would be reinvested into workers' operations and farm infrastructure.
The average price of diesel in California yesterday was $8.45 a gallon, the highest in the country today.
As AgriPulse reported, CAFB has been pushing for Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to follow President Donald Trump's lead and temporarily allow vehicles using red diesel on public roads.
In the survey, farmers told CAFB they've had to sell property because they could no longer afford fuel or equipment.
That spiking of big inputs like diesel causes uncertainty and that increased diesel costs have eliminated any potential profit from the 2026 crop.
But the biggest impact on prices is the continuing conflict in Iran, which shows little sign of a resolution, University of California economists have told AgriPulse.
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