Fuel usage climbs amid muddy harvest conditions

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A northeast Nebraska farmer says less-than-optimal soil conditions at harvest have led to an increase in fuel consumption this fall.

Quentin Connealy says that’s impacting his bottom line. “With all of this mudding out that some of these crops are getting in these certain fields, we’re going to have to fix some issues and watch for compaction. It’s a vicious circle of high prices and lots of moisture.”

He says there’s been some relief in fuel prices recently but has talked to retailers and he’s not optimistic that prices will move significantly lower next year.

Connealy tells Brownfield he’s adjusted his budget accordingly. “Keep your breakeven up a little bit. If it goes down, you have some room to fluctuate. It’s always better to be tight on the breakevens to start with and hope the prices go down and then we can acclimate and hopefully make some money on the farm in 2027.”

AAA had the national diesel price at $6.15 on Tuesday, compared to $6.28 in the prior week.