High energy bills taking toll on farmers, too

Since last year, rising gas prices have “increased the cost of everything I do,” said beef and crop farmer Dennis Michel of Zanesville.

He used to pay less than $1 a gallon for fuel. Now, the cost has more than doubled, and Michel is feeling the strain. He grows crops on 80 acres of land.

“Most of my tractors use three to eight gallons an hour,” he said. “So we’re trying to figure out different ways of doing stuff … the most economical way we can.”

Farmer Melvin Hackett also is energy challenged.

Hackett, like thousands of farmers across the country, is trying to cope with a dwindling income as higher energy prices bite deep into his profits.

Zanesville Times Recorder (Ohio)