The American Farm Bureau told Congress farmers need reliable, affordable energy to transport crops and livestock, but electric vehicles are not reliable. AFB’s Linda Pryor told the House Energy and Climate subcommittee that fuel prices have soared 30 percent since 2021, while prices for corn and apples from her North Carolina farm have fallen.
But Pryor said reliable diesel trucks her farm uses are the only way to guarantee reliable on-time shipping of perishable goods. “These trucks average 14-hour workdays, at a minimum of 250 miles per day,” according to Pryor. “Using diesel allows us to keep moving throughout those long days rather than trying to figure out how and when to charge an electric truck.”
They also avoid risking poor battery performance in hot or cold weather. Pryor argued electric vehicles must make economic sense for the end user and not be mandated as EPA’s strict new auto emission rules effectively do.
“The rural nature of farming means we rarely have access to a location where electric trucks or equipment could be charged,” says Pryor. “Additionally, when farmers make large equipment purchases, they intend to operate this machinery for many years, and many need to be able to maintain the equipment themselves. The idea of having to purchase new equipment that would be too complex to maintain on the farm is out of the question for many farmers.”
She said the bottom line is this; “Farmers need affordable and reliable energy solutions. The rising cost of energy and other inputs ripple through the entire food chain, from the farm fields to the grocery store shelves.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports retail food prices are nearly 18 percent higher now than in 2021.
Story by Matt Kaye/Berns Bureau; courtesy of NAFB News Service
