Rising diesel prices impacting local farmers

SOUTH HADLEY, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Rising gasoline and diesel prices are taking a toll on people and businesses around the country. Locally, farms are feeling the burden.

“Let’s get fuel out of the ground and cut this crap. This is not good for the economy. This is just brutal, brutal,” said Stephen McCray, owner of McCray’s Farm in South Hadley.

McCray is fed up with the cost of fuel going up. It’s impacting how he can plant and grow things since he needs his tractors running to do it. He told us most recently, he purchased 366 gallons of diesel for $5.94 a gallon. That’s just under $2,200.

He told us that he usually gets 500 gallons. At that price, it would have been close to $3,000. He said that a year ago, he paid under $1,500 for 500 gallons.

“Everything we do with the crops is all about fuel because that’s how we harvest the crops with the tractors. Pretty soon, we’re going to be out there with horses for God’s sake. It’s ridiculous,” McCray explained.

Also, when they need goods and supplies, McCray told us it costs more to purchase them.

“Most of our dealers can’t get truck drivers, so everybody is paying everybody more and the food cost more, so everything’s just going up,” McCray added.

Another thing at McCray’s farms they had to raise prices on were wagon rides and McCray told us they haven’t risen the price on that in 20 years.

“My father was the last one to raise prices on our wagon rides and that was probably 20 years ago. I’m not into gouging my customer base, but we had to go from three to four on wagon rides,” McCray said.

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