Diesel is over $4.00 a gallon. Wow! When we started farming 6 years ago we could get offroad diesel for a quarter that. Now, our cost will be slightly less a gallon, as we use off road for our tractor (which is not taxed the same), but still our bill will be high this year for fuel, and will only get higher in coming years.
But think about your pain at the pump. Now think about the poor truckers who work as independent contractors (owner/operators) and move most of products across the country. In China they are rationing diesel! In the US all our truckers have to worry about is fuel at $1.25 more a gallon then last year! Many are going bankrupt all the time.
Think of the fields in California deserts where we grow produce for our Ohio grocery stores. Diesel powers the tractors that till and hill the fields. Diesel powers the pumps that bring water for irrigation to an arid region. Diesel powers the tractors that help pick the items, or pull processing stations. And then Diesel brings the product 75% of the way across the country so we can have a styrofoam tasting tomato or bland lettuce in March?
All this as the dollar continues to fall, further inflating the cost of oil. There may come a time in the very near future when, as opposed to being a luxury to eat local, it will be the economical choice. Towards that end as a society we need to learn to cook from "real food" and not from boxes. And we need to support our local farmers so we begin to build the infrastructure we need for when we really need it...
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