Oregon farmers say that low fuel prices could mean a big boost to their bottom lines -- if prices remain low until the summer.
There's not much agricultural production happening right now in the Northwest. But if fuel prices stay down in the coming months, farmers throughout the region could feel the benefits.
Many farms rely on diesel fuel to transport products and run field machinery. Petroleum products are also used to make fertilizer.
Mickey Killingsworth raises sheep outside Madras and is a local leader in the Jefferson County chapter of the Oregon Farm Bureau. She says unfortunately she filled her diesel store and bought fertilizer back when fuel prices were high. But low fuel prices into the summer could give her more flexibility.
"If I have savings does that go back into something in the operation?" says Killingsworth. "Do I get a new, more expensive ram? Do I get new tires on my fifth wheel gooseneck? It just gives you a little more cash flow to make some management decisions on what you want to do."
Agricultural production is Oregon's second largest economic driver.
Copyright 2020 EarthFix. To see more, visit .
