American farmers are suffering heavy financial burdens from soaring diesel prices during the critical period of harvesting soybeans and corn. The price of diesel in the US hit an all-time record on September 4, soaring to $5.85 per gallon for the first time, and hit another record high of $6.05 per gallon on September 11. Paul Mitchell, professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that the high cost of diesel has seriously squeezed farmers' profit margins, and everything from harvesting crops to transportation is affected. Farmer Jason Kurtz said he paid twice as much for diesel this year as last year, which directly impacted the farm's bottom line of profits. Faced with uncontrollable external cost pressures, many cash-strapped farms have had to cut other budgets drastically. Analysts believe that if diesel prices continue to run high, the living space of American farmers will be further compressed. If cost pressure is not relieved during the next harvest season, many small and medium-sized farms will face a more severe risk of capital chain breakdowns.

American farmers are suffering heavy financial burdens from soaring diesel prices during the critical period of harvesting soybeans and corn. The price of diesel in the US hit an all-time record on September 4, soaring to $5.85 per gallon for the first time, and hit another record high of $6.05 per gallon on September 11. Paul Mitchell, professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that the high cost of diesel has seriously squeezed farmers' profit margins, and everything from harvesting crops to transportation is affected. Farmer Jason Kurtz said he paid twice as much for diesel this year as last year, which directly impacted the farm's bottom line of profits. Faced with uncontrollable external cost pressures, many cash-strapped farms have had to cut other budgets drastically. Analysts believe that if diesel prices continue to run high, the living space of American farmers will be further compressed. If cost pressure is not relieved during the next harvest season, many small and medium-sized farms will face a more severe risk of capital chain breakdowns.