{"id":387880,"date":"2026-04-12T07:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/387880\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T07:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:03:13","slug":"insane-costs-small-new-york-farm-grapples-with-fuel-hikes-from-middle-east-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/387880\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Insane\u2019 costs: Small New York farm grapples with fuel hikes from Middle East conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEW CITY, April 12 \u2014 An hour\u2019s drive north of New York City, the greenhouses at Cropsey Farm are seeing their first leaves of kale, spinach and arugula emerge. But the farmer who runs the outfit is obsessed with something else: the soaring price of fuel.<\/p>\n

Every year, Sue Ferreri typically allows a 10 per cent \u201cbuffer\u201d for production budgeting, \u201cbut it\u2019s well above that now\u2026We\u2019re looking at 20, 25 per cent, and it\u2019s mainly due to the diesel cost,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n

Fuel prices have jumped after the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which led to a blockage of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit of oil and fertilizer.<\/p>\n

\"Sue <\/p>\n

Sue Ferreri, executive director of Rockland Community Farm Network, drives a tractor at Cropsey Community Farm in New City, New York on April 8, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, a gallon (3.8 litres) of diesel \u2014 the fuel most used on the farm located in New City \u2014 rose as high as US$5.70 (RM22.60) compared with US$3.70 in February.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s essential to the entire operation here: irrigating young plants, spraying fertilizers and plowing the soil.<\/p>\n

Shipping costs are up, too, Ferreri said, describing \u201cinsane\u201d prices for the delivery of essential farm equipment. Recently when she wanted to order a US$60 piece of equipment, the shipping cost was US$200, she said.<\/p>\n

\"Sue <\/p>\n

Sue Ferreri, executive director of Rockland Community Farm Network, visits the greenhouse as the checks on Kale plants at Cropsey Community Farm in New City, New York on April 8, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

\u2018Pricey\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eight people grow flowers, vegetables and fruit using sustainable farming practices on the ten-hectare (25-acre) farm. Customers include restaurant owners as well as local residents who buy produce in a restored 18th-century barn.<\/p>\n

Cropsey Farm was already hit by fuel prices hikes following the war in Ukraine and had begun adapting its methods even before the Middle East conflict broke out.<\/p>\n

Now, that shift is accelerating.<\/p>\n

\"Maria <\/p>\n

Maria Mengon (R) and Ailen Dykhuize (L) harvest tulips at the Cropsey Community Farm in New City, New York on April 8, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been switching more to smaller equipment just because it\u2019s more efficient on fuel and it can still do what we need it to do,\u201d said head mechanic Jonah Monahan.<\/p>\n

For example, an ATV and walk-behind tractor are now on the farm \u2014 both far less energy-intensive than the typical tractor.<\/p>\n

But, added Monahan, \u201cfor big jobs, we still need the main tractor, which gets pricey.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one greenhouse, two women lifted tulip plants out of the ground and used a hand-drawn rolling cart to transport them to a refrigerated shed to await sale.<\/p>\n

Everything is done to squeeze fuel costs.<\/p>\n

\"Small <\/p>\n

Small plants grow at the Cropsey Community Farm in New City, New York on April 8, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

\u2018Relief\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond the tool adaptations, Ferreri said the farm is also shifting to \u201cregenerative\u201d practices, such as plowing the soil less deeply and maximizing space by rotating crops or pairing plants.<\/p>\n

The rapid adjustments at Cropsey, typical of a small operation, have not yet reached larger farms, said Ben Brown, an agriculture researcher at the University of Missouri.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, most farms are left with taking the higher prices and figuring out how to make it work financially,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, if elevated prices were to continue, we would expect to see producers shift some acreage to lower energy dependent crops,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ferreri said the fragile ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran gave her some \u201crelief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as a farmer, you can\u2019t trust the weather,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to just anticipate the worst, hope for the best, and that\u2019s kind of where we\u2019re at.\u201d \u2014 AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW CITY, April 12 \u2014 An hour\u2019s drive north of New York City, the greenhouses at Cropsey Farm…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[114,184885,184887,85,46,168874,184888,114994,184886],"class_list":["post-387880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-cropsey-farm","tag-diesel-cost","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-new-city","tag-regenerative-farming","tag-strait-of-hormuz","tag-sue-ferreri"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}