Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell is asking Gov. Andy Beshear to temporarily let farmers use cheaper, tax-exempt red-dyed diesel on public roads as record fuel prices squeeze farms during harvest season.
The spike comes amid global fuel shortages and supply disruptions tied to Donald Trump’s ongoing war with Iran, which has sent diesel prices soaring across the U.S. Red-dyed diesel is essentially the same fuel farmers already use in tractors and combines, but because it’s tax-exempt, Kentucky normally prohibits its use on public roads.
Shell says temporarily lifting that restriction through December could save farmers about 20 cents a gallon as they move crops to market. Beshear’s office says it is reviewing the request.
