Diesel Shortage 2026: Why One Corn Maze Raised Tickets $3 After Six Years, and How to Reprice Your Farm Before Fuel Eats Your Fall Profit

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Eddie Lee Conner runs five tractors at Conner's A-Maize-ing Acres in Hilliard, Florida. One of them pulls an attraction he calls the "cow train." Each tractor can use roughly 35 gallons of diesel and gets refueled about twice a week.

He owns a 500-gallon fuel tank. These days he orders only 200 to 300 gallons at a time, because of what diesel now costs.

So this fall he did something he had not done in six years. He raised admission by $3, to $22.95.

Then he told a local TV reporter something every farm owner should hear: he is not going to raise prices every year just because diesel went up.

That is the whole lesson of this article. The 2026 diesel shortage is real, it will last into 2027, and it squeezes your farm from both sides of the gate at once. The farms that come through it best don't panic and double their prices. They do the math, raise prices once by a fair amount, tell visitors why, and aim their marketing at families who live close enough to come back again and again.

The Short Answer

Diesel exports from Russia and the Middle East fell by 1.3 million barrels a day in September, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects tight supply well into 2027. That raises your fuel bill and your visitors' gas bill at the same time. Do two things this week: review your ticket prices using real cost-per-visitor math (a small, round, honest raise often covers fuel), and move your marketing money to families within about 25 to 50 miles of your farm.

Families on a tractor-pulled hayride at a pumpkin patch, where the diesel shortage now drives up the cost of every wagon ride — Every hayride runs on diesel, and in 2026 diesel costs more than ever. Illustrative photo, not a farm named in this article. Photo: Unsplash.

What Just Happened to Diesel (in Plain Farm Language)

On October 14, 2026, the IEA published its monthly Oil Market Report. The numbers are blunt:

Diesel and gasoil exports from Russia and the Middle East fell by 1.3 million barrels a day in September, to about 820,000. That is a drop of more than 60% in a year.
The United States and China shipped more, but not enough. Global diesel exports were still about 700,000 barrels a day lower than a year earlier.
Wholesale diesel topped $200 a barrel in September. Even after easing in early October, it was still nearly double the price of crude oil.
The IEA expects supply to stay tight well into 2027.

The cause is war. Fighting in the Middle East has disrupted fuel exports, and Ukrainian drone strikes have damaged Russian refineries. Much of the squeeze comes from lost refining and blocked fuel shipments.

Bar chart showing net diesel exports from Russia and the Middle East falling from about 2.1 million barrels a day in September 2025 to 820,000 in September 2026, the cause of the diesel shortage — Where the world's diesel went. Source: IEA Oil Market Report, October 2026.

In the U.S., the Energy Information Administration (EIA) tracks pump prices every week. In the week of September 21, diesel hit an all-time record of $6.53 a gallon (not adjusted for inflation), beating the June 2022 record of $5.81. By October 12 it had eased to $6.18, still about 69% above the $3.67 of a year earlier.

Line chart of weekly U.S. diesel prices from September 2025 to October 2026, rising from $3.67 to a record $6.53 a gallon, above the 2022 record of $5.81 — U.S. diesel just beat its 2022 record. Source: EIA via FRED.

It doesn't stop at the pump. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says producer prices rose 1.3% in September alone, the biggest one-month jump since March 2022, and 6.3% over the past year. Energy drove most of it. Diesel hauls your hay, your packaging and your pumpkins, so almost everything you buy costs more.

How long will it last?

Nobody knows for sure. But the EIA's October Short-Term Energy Outlook has U.S. diesel averaging about $5.19 a gallon in 2026 and $4.49 in 2027. Even the "better" 2027 number is far above the roughly $3.70 you paid last fall.

Reality Check:

Don't set next year's prices by hoping $3.70 diesel comes back. Plan your 2027 season around $4.50 to $5 diesel. If prices fall faster, pass the savings on with a "thank-you" weekday deal. If they don't, you are already covered.

The Double Squeeze: Both Sides of Your Gate

Most farm news this fall is about combines and harvest bills. But agritourism farms take a second hit that grain farms don't. Your costs go up, and your customers' costs go up, at the same time.

Diagram of the double squeeze from the 2026 diesel shortage: higher costs for the farm and higher gas costs for visitors, leading to two moves, reviewing ticket prices and marketing to nearby families — One shortage, two squeezes.

Your side: the fuel bill

Here is what pumpkin patch and corn maze owners told their local news this fall:

Waterman's Family Farm, Indianapolis: one tank for the farm equipment costs about $700 and lasts less than a week. They raised Fall Festival admission by $1 to cover fuel.
Trask Family Farm, New Hanover County, North Carolina: about $340 to fill both tractors. The owner now asks whether the mowing really needs doing that day.
Layman Family Farms, Montvale, Virginia: about $1,000 in fuel in a single week. When Eric Layman first started, he says, diesel cost 99 cents a gallon.

USDA's Economic Research Service expects U.S. farm spending on fuel and oil to jump 28.8% this year, to $21.6 billion. In Illinois, farm diesel went from $3.01 to $5.61 a gallon in a year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. If you run hayrides, a corn maze, a generator or a truck to restock your farm stand, fuel is no longer a rounding error. (We covered the wider squeeze in Crop Prices Down, Diesel Up: Why Farms Are Turning to Agritourism.)

Your visitors' side: the gas bill

Your visitors feel the same shortage at the gas pump. EIA data shows regular gasoline averaged $4.33 a gallon on October 12, up from $3.06 a year earlier. AAA says this is the first year the national average has topped $4 in October.

People are adjusting. In Longwoods International's August 2026 survey, 40% of travelers said they are choosing destinations closer to home because of gas prices, and 37% are taking fewer trips. In GasBuddy's 2026 summer travel survey, the share of people planning drives of more than two hours fell from 69% to 56%.

To be fair, people often say they will cut back more than they really do. Arrivalist's card data found summer 2026 trip distances were back at 2024 levels. So families are not staying home. They are choosing more carefully where the gas money goes.

Bar chart of the round-trip gas cost for a family visiting a farm 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles away, comparing October 2025 and October 2026 gas prices — What the drive to your farm now costs a family. Our math, using EIA gas prices and the U.S. average of 23.4 miles per gallon.

A family 100 miles away now spends about $37 on gas just to reach you and get home, about $11 more than last year. A family 10 miles away spends $3.70. Guess which one comes this weekend, and comes back next month?

Here is the twist most farmers miss. High gas prices don't only take visitors away. When long drives cost more, a farm close to town can gain the families who would otherwise have driven farther. Eric Layman's gate ticket is now $25, and families keep coming. He wonders whether, partly, his farm has become their vacation.

Should You Raise Your Ticket Price? What Real Farms Did This Fall

Kansas State economist Gregg Ibendahl summed up the grain farmer's problem this fall: farmers are price takers. A corn grower can't add a dollar a bushel because diesel went up. You can. An agritourism farm sets its own price, a power most farmers never get. Jaemor Farms in Georgia told WSB-TV this fall that its agritourism side is helping offset the diesel bill, because the margins are better.

Here is what farms did with that power:

Farm	Where	What they did
Conner's A-Maize-ing Acres	Hilliard, Florida	Raised admission $3 to $22.95, the first raise in six years. May run fewer tractors on the cow train.
Waterman's Family Farm	Indianapolis, Indiana	Raised Fall Festival admission $1 to cover fuel.
McCray's Farm	South Hadley, Massachusetts	Planned a small rise in pumpkin prices. Kept the wagon ride at $5.
Penton Farms	Chilton County, Alabama	Held pumpkin prices and absorbed the fuel cost.
Burtt's Apple Orchard	Cabot, Vermont	Held farm stand prices at last year's level, to look after neighbors.
Sugar Ridge Family Farm (2022)	Walton, Kentucky	In the last diesel spike, raised admission from $8 to $10, its first raise since opening five years earlier. Drew record crowds.

Notice the size of the raises: $1 to $3, not $10. And in 2022, a fair raise did not scare families off.

Do the fuel math before you touch the price

Let's use Eddie Lee Conner's own numbers as a rough example. Five tractors that can each use about 35 gallons, refueled about twice a week, comes to up to 350 gallons a week. If diesel costs about $2.50 a gallon more than last year (the national pump price rose from $3.67 to $6.18), that is about $875 extra a week.

His fall season runs about five weeks, by our estimate from public listings, and he expects about 20,000 visitors. That is roughly $4,400 of extra fuel spread over 20,000 people: about 22 cents per visitor. Even if the season ran twice as long, it would still be well under 50 cents.

That is the surprise. On its own, fuel rarely justifies a big price jump. But labor, supplies, packaging and insurance are climbing too. A round raise of $1 to $3 covers the fuel and some of that creep, without making a family feel cheated. Your numbers will differ, so run them.

Penn State Extension's agritourism pricing guide says you should not be afraid to adjust prices, and gives a simple break-even formula:

Field-Tested Play: The Break-Even Check

Break-even visitors = fixed costs ÷ (ticket price − cost per visitor). With $30,000 in fixed costs, a $15 ticket and $5 to serve each visitor, you need 3,000 visitors. Add 50 cents of fuel per visitor and you need 3,158. Raise the ticket to $16 and you are back to 2,858.

One warning. A 2026 farm market pricing survey reported by Fruit Growers News found more than 60% of farm markets set prices mainly by watching competitors. In a cost spike that is risky, because your neighbor may still be pricing off last year's fuel bill. Start from your own costs, then check the competition. For more, read The Best Way to Set Entry Fees and Ticket Pricing for Agritourism and The Experience Premium: How to Price Your Farm for Profit.

Flowchart of a five-step ticket price review for agritourism farms facing the diesel shortage: find cost per visitor, check the gap, pick one lever, tell visitors why, watch the numbers — The 5-step ticket price review. Do it before your next busy weekend.

Five levers (pick one, not all five)

A small, round raise. $1 to $3 on admission, like the farms above.
A bundle. Admission, a pumpkin and a cup of cider in one price. In 2022, one California farm charged $7 admission and credited it toward a pumpkin. Bundles shift attention from "price went up" to "look what I get." See Why Simple Agritourism Packages Outperform Complicated Ones.
Price the fuel-hungry ride on its own. McCray's sells its wagon ride as a separate $5 ticket. A separate ride price lets you adjust one item without touching the gate price.
Cheaper weekdays, full price on peak weekends. Penn State's guide shows a ladder from $2 on weekdays to $15 on peak weekends.
Trim fuel, not fun. Mow only what visitors see. Run fewer tractors when lines are short. Make one supply run do three jobs.

Reality Check:

Never spring a "fuel surcharge" on families at the gate or checkout. People hate surprise fees, and it can break pricing laws (see the next section). Build fuel into the price you advertise.

Tell visitors why, in one honest line

People forgive a fair price rise. They don't forgive feeling tricked. When Jasmine Cassel of Huddleston Hog and Highland Homestead in Bedford County, Virginia, raised her ground beef from $9.50 to $11.50 a pound, citing rising hay, feed and fuel costs, she said customer support was more than she had imagined.

Field-Tested Play: The One-Line Sign

Post this at your ticket booth, on your website and on Facebook: "Diesel to run our hayride tractors costs nearly twice what it did last year. We've raised admission by $2 so we can keep the wagons rolling. Thank you for keeping a family farm going." Change the numbers to match your farm.

The Paperwork Questions: Surcharges, Fuel Tax and Insurance

This is not legal or tax advice. It is a list of questions to take to your lawyer, accountant and insurance agent. (See our guides to questions to ask your accountant and what agritourism insurance covers.)

1. Must I show the full price, fees included, up front? The Federal Trade Commission's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, in effect since May 12, 2025, requires the total price, including mandatory fees, to be shown up front for live-event tickets and short-term lodging. A farm concert is a live event, and a farm stay may count as short-term lodging. Ask whether yours are covered.

2. Does my state go further? California's Honest Pricing Law (SB 478), in force since July 1, 2024, requires advertised prices for most consumer goods and services, including event tickets, to include all mandatory fees. Ask whether your state has a similar law.

3. Can I claim back any fuel tax? Federal tax and fees on highway diesel total 24.4 cents a gallon. Ask your accountant whether taxed fuel you use on the farm qualifies for a federal fuel tax credit, and whether your agritourism activities count as "farming purposes."

4. Is my fuel storage covered? Whether you buy in smaller loads or stock up, ask your agent whether your tank is covered, safely away from visitor areas, and whether a spill is covered.

5. Does my insurer need to know about changes? Cutting a tractor, changing a hayride route or adding a new event can change your risk. A two-minute call now beats a denied claim later.

Win the Drive-In Family 25 Miles Away

Most of your visitors already live close. An Oregon State University study found that 66% of Oregon's agritourism visitors live within 50 miles of the farm. A 2026 University of Vermont study for USDA found that farms offering overnight stays had about five times the odds of drawing a bigger share of their visitors from 50 miles or more. Day trips are local. Long trips need a big reason, like a farm stay.

So stop paying to reach families three hours away who will probably stay home. Spend that money on families who can reach you on a quarter-tank of gas.

Diagram of three marketing rings around a farm: neighbors within 25 miles, day-trippers 25 to 50 miles away and special-trip visitors over 50 miles, showing where agritourism farms should market during high fuel prices — Where to spend your marketing money now. Use your own visitor ZIP codes to draw your rings.

Ferguson's Family of Farms, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, shows how to turn a short drive into a habit. It sells an $18 ticket with unlimited return visits all season, and more than 20% of visitors come back several times. For a family 15 minutes away, that is the best deal in town. For the farm, it fills quiet days.

Red pickup truck loaded with pumpkins on a farm, a reminder that nearby drive-in families are the best agritourism customers when gas prices are high — Your best customers this fall may live 15 minutes down the road. Illustrative photo, not a farm named in this article. Photo: Unsplash.

Seven ways to fill your gate with neighbors

Fix your Google Maps listing. When gas is expensive, people search "pumpkin patch near me" and pick the closest good option. Keep hours, prices and photos current. Here is our guide to getting found on Google Maps.
Shrink your ad radius. Aim Facebook and Instagram ads at nearby towns, not the whole state. See Top 10 Social Media Strategies for Agritourism Businesses.
Put flyers where neighbors already go. Schools, churches, libraries, feed stores. See How to Partner with Local Businesses to Boost Farm Tourism.
Sell a neighbor pass. A season pass with return visits, like Ferguson's.
Add weeknight events. Locals can pop in on a Tuesday. Tourists can't. Pick from our 30 farm events by season.
Try carload pricing on a slow day. One price per car nudges families to share a ride, saving them gas.
Build your own list. Every visitor should leave on your email or WhatsApp list, so you can invite them back for free. Start with our email marketing guide.

Field-Tested Play: The ZIP Code Weekend

For one busy weekend, ask every car at the gate for its ZIP code and keep a tally. By Sunday night you will know where your visitors really come from. Spend next month's marketing money on the top five ZIP codes.

Word of mouth matters even more when people stay local, because neighbors talk. Here is why word of mouth is the cheapest marketing tool in agritourism.

What My Durian Farm Taught Me About Nearby Customers

On my farm, Bloopy Durians in Bentong, Malaysia, the durian seasons are short: roughly December to February and June to August. In durian season we welcome up to 100 visitors a week. But the money that keeps us steady doesn't come from strangers who drive in once.

It comes from a WhatsApp list of loyal customers who buy whenever we have durians. They know us and trust our fruit. One message, and they come or they order. It costs almost nothing to reach them.

That is my advice for this diesel shortage. When everything costs more, the cheapest customer to bring back is the one who already knows you and lives within reach. Build that list now, while your gate is busy.

Pumpkins at a farm stand with a dog looking on, a reminder that clear, honest pricing matters when diesel costs rise — Clear, honest prices build trust. Illustrative photo, not a farm named in this article. Photo: Unsplash.

Your 7-Day Diesel Action Plan

Day 1: Add up your fuel receipts for the last month.
Day 2: Work out your cost per visitor, including fuel, labor and supplies.
Day 3: Run the break-even check and pick one lever.
Day 4: Write your one-line sign. Update your website, Google listing and ticket page with the full, all-in price.
Day 5: Shrink your ad radius and drop flyers in your nearest towns.
Day 6: Launch a neighbor pass or a weeknight event.
Day 7: Call your accountant about fuel tax and your insurance agent about fuel storage and ride changes.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Diesel Shortage and Agritourism

Why is diesel so expensive in 2026?

War has cut supply. The IEA reports that diesel and gasoil exports from Russia and the Middle East fell by 1.3 million barrels a day in September 2026, after Middle East fighting disrupted fuel exports and Ukrainian drone strikes damaged Russian refineries. U.S. diesel hit a record $6.53 a gallon in late September.

How long will high diesel prices last?

The IEA expects tight supply well into 2027. The EIA's October outlook has U.S. diesel averaging about $5.19 a gallon in 2026 and $4.49 in 2027, still well above the roughly $3.70 of fall 2025.

Should my farm add a fuel surcharge to tickets?

It is usually safer and simpler to build fuel into your advertised ticket price. Federal rules for live-event tickets and short-term lodging, and state laws such as California's SB 478, require mandatory fees to be in the price shown up front. Ask a lawyer about your situation.

How much should I raise my agritourism ticket prices?

Work out your cost per visitor first. Extra fuel often adds well under a dollar per visitor, but other costs are rising too. The farms we found that raised admission this fall added $1 to $3.

Will higher ticket prices scare visitors away?

A fair, round raise explained in one honest line rarely does. In 2022, a Kentucky farm raised admission from $8 to $10 and drew record crowds. Keep a cheaper option, like a weekday price, for families watching every dollar.

How do I attract more local visitors when gas prices are high?

Update your Google Maps listing, aim ads at nearby towns, put flyers in local schools and churches, sell a season pass, add weeknight events, and collect every visitor's email or WhatsApp number.

Find Out If Your Farm Is Ready to Profit From Visitors

Rising costs expose weak spots fast. Take our free Farm Readiness Quiz to see where your farm stands, then grab the free 21-Point Agritourism Blueprint to plug the gaps before next season.

Take the Free Farm Readiness Quiz

Download the Free 21-Point Agritourism Blueprint

P.S. Remember Eddie Lee Conner and his five tractors? He waited six years to raise his price, raised it once by $3, and said he won't chase diesel up every year. That is the balance to strike. Charge enough to keep the wagons rolling, tell people why, and make your neighbors feel your farm is their vacation.

Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun. This article is for general education only and is not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice. Fuel prices change weekly; check current figures before you set prices.