Kansas Diesel Average Hits Record $6.22 a Gallon, Squeezing Truckers and Farmers

2 articles · Updated · KWCH · Sep 21

$6.22 per gallon became Kansas' record statewide diesel average over the weekend, with Wichita only slightly lower at $6.19, according to AAA.
Steve Hilker Trucking in Cimarron said the surge is already lifting fuel costs to about $1,200 a day, or $8,400 a week, for trucks hauling livestock that cannot be parked.
Kansas farmers heading into winter wheat planting also face thinner margins as older fuel contracts expire and diesel prices shift from levels starting with 3 toward 5 or 6, Kansas Corn Commission Chair Derek Belton said.
Rural Kansas consumers could feel the next impact because food, clothing and other goods arrive by truck, raising the risk that higher diesel costs feed into store prices.