Fuel Prices….

[gwpoky]

Talk on the radio this morning was about the higher fuel prices looks like gas could reach and maintain 4+ dollars/ gallon bay the end of 2011 and who knows how high diesel will go. I am glad that we run our farm with animal power, but still a little worried about markets even our direct markets. What are all our your thoughts? We have been looking at selling our current farm, if that would be even possible, and starting over with less debt.

[Marshall]

Gas just hit 3.19 a gallon here. This spring was my plan to go to mostly horse power. The fuel price is more incentive but the good old orthapedic surgeon threw the wrench in the works. On march first I am scheduled for my second knee replacement. I got them to put me on the top of the cancelation list but who knows. I will make it work somehow. I figure I have enough horses to do most of the work. I love riding around behind the horses saying to myself “scr@w the oil producers”.

[J-L]

I’ve been hearing rumblings along those lines as well. Fuel went up some more here too. It’s a worry for me as we still use quite a little diesel to put up the hay. I cover too much ground to do otherwise. Putting up six to eight hundred ton of hay without a tractor would be hard to say the least.
I worry about the effect of high fuel cost on just about every facet of life. Puts a strain on everything.

[J-L]

I’ve been hearing rumblings along those lines as well. Fuel went up some more here too. It’s a worry for me as we still use quite a little diesel to put up the hay. I cover too much ground to do otherwise. Putting up six to eight hundred ton of hay without a tractor would be hard to say the least.
I worry about the effect of high fuel cost on just about every facet of life. Puts a strain on everything.

[Stable-Man]

High gas gridlocks everything around here. As a suburb, you pretty much need a car to get anywhere within a “resonable” amount of time. Goodness forbid someone should have to break out the bicycle. Back when it was over $4 everybody was conscious and turning off engines at stoplights, etc. As I see it, eventually we’ll need a lot more labor on the land, accept high gas prices, or come up with some alternate which will probably be equally expensive to gas.

[jac]

$3.19…. a gallon !!!!!!! We are getting our petrol for the bargain price of £4.88 or near enough $7/ gallon !!!! tractor diesel is running at around the same as you guys pay for road fuel… im assuming agricultural fuel is subsidised with you too.. not looking great for any economic recovery here any time soon…
John

[dominiquer60]

Diesel Fuel for trucks on the road has been higher than gasoline since the 2004 hurricane, it used to be cheaper The only good the govt does for farmers is a tax exemption on fuel for off road farm use. Here in NY you used to have to pay the tax and then get credit of your income taxes at the end of the year. There was a push to have it like other Ag supplies, where you get the taxes excluded from the get go as long as you fill out the Tax Exemption form. I am not sure where it is at now because I don’t pay the fuel bill or do the farm taxes.

I am glad that someone over the pond posted, because people in the US don’t know how “good” they have it. We are fooled into a sense that we deserve everything as cheap as possible, where as even our neighbors to the north have much more realistic fuel prices than we do. When the real @#4% hits the fan there are going to be some unhappy people in this country that want their government to bail them out as usual. Eventually our government will have to stop trying to play “God,” and a greedy one at that.

[Smalltown]

$4 gas set off the housing crises a few years ago, I wonder what new lows our economy will sink to if prices jump again?

Cheap fuel back in the day spread our country out so much, we drive everywhere. It’s nothing in America to jump in a car and drive an hour or two to pick up something, the process of readjusting all that will be painful.

I have some friends in Ireland and they say that while fuel costs much more they also drive much less than Americans, not just because prices are higher but because society is structured differently, more localized, villages etc.

[jac]

Good points Erika… and Smalltown, another reason we dont drive as far is the uncool cars we have… most have as much grunt as a hairdrier:D…joking aside… things are going to get tight for a while I recon…
John

[Marshall]

The 3.19 a gallon or more wouldn’t be so bad if it would rise a little more gradually. It seems that it will take large increases in a short time. When you budget a certain amount for fuel it makes it hard to plan things. I agree if the fuel price was higher people wouldn’t travel as far which would be good. That would give a reason to plan trips better, go less frequently and accomplish more when you do go.

[Simple Living]

If fuel prices stay elevated and/or rise to the $5.00/gal range, would that not force the general public to buy things local? And in that end, would it still be feasible for foreign industry to import all the things that are imported now? Would this bring local business more opportunity to gain market share? Less shipping of produce and meats over 3000miles, even to complete other countries? It would seem that local CO-OPs, farmers markets, and local crafts people would all benefit. And with people using less fuel, there would be less dependence on foreign energy products. I guess what I am trying to say is a huge price increase in fuel might not be as bad as CNN (communist news network) FOX, and the rest of the fear mongers would lead you to believe. In the long run, maybe even a good thing.

Gordon

[dominiquer60]

Higher prices would hopefully slow down the sprawl which is a good thing in my book, not everyone should be able to afford a one hour commute twice a day.

[Marshall]

Gordon, I understand what you are saying about forcing people to buy local. That would probably happen, the problem is they would be buying mostly foreign made products locally.

[Stable-Man]

@Simple Living 23239 wrote:

If fuel prices stay elevated and/or rise to the $5.00/gal range, would that not force the general public to buy things local?…CNN (communist news network) FOX, and the rest of the fear mongers would lead you to believe. In the long run, maybe even a good thing.

Gordon

In the long run yeah, but in the short run it’ll be quite creepy to live in places that depend on cars, so in that respect “fear mongering” might just be the truth. After about forty years of ridiculous outward development here, planners are finally realizing the problems and a lot of apartments, etc, are cropping up along the metro lines and these are mixed use with grocery stores, gyms, and other stores built in so people drive less. But the rent is more expensive than suburb-like housing, and the zoning is a little loose so companies were still building out until housing collapsed. It’s a scary prospect how many people might lose homes and the like because they still have to work that distant job and pay for the fuel.

[bivol]

we have 4.5 $ per quart of gasoline, FOR NOW. LOl i remember people thinning gasoline with water when there wasn’t enough of it. but then there were big sturdy cars who could take it, nowdays modern cars can’t.

there are other fuel sources, though. like cooking oil, heating oil, biomass, lng.

if i had the space, i’d seriously consider shifting to wood gas, but for now, unfortunatelly, nothing.

lately the driving’s been: walk up to the car, look at it, and then go and take a tram! LOL

[Author]

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