AILSA CHANG, HOST:
President Trump is trying a variety of strategies to bring down the cost of diesel. He's announced a deal with Russia to potentially supply more than 4 million tons, and he signed an executive order that he says will help farmers by temporarily making a kind of diesel that's normally reserved for things like off-road farm machinery legal for use on highways. Farmers say they'll take the relief, but they're still hurting under increased prices. South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Jackson Dircks reports.
(SOUNDBITE OF TRUCK REVERSE ALERT BEEPING)
JACKSON DIRCKS, BYLINE: Larry Birgen, age 65, loads soybeans into a cargo truck. President Trump's order is letting farmers use dyed diesel, a fuel that's exempt from federal taxes, in trucks like this until the end of the year. That'll save Birgen about 24 cents a gallon. He says it's welcome during harvest season.
LARRY BIRGEN: We got a long ways to go as far as how many times I'm going to fill. So it can make a lot of difference.
DIRCKS: The White House says it'll save 60 bucks on a 250-gallon tank. It helps during their busiest time of year, but diesel remains about 60% more expensive as this time last year.
(SOUNDBITE OF FARM EQUIPMENT RUNNING)
BIRGEN: Yeah. It's not going to make up for that, you know? That's more the Iran war or whatever is causing these high prices.
DIRCKS: Scott VanderWal is president of the state's farm bureau, a conservative group.
SCOTT VANDERWAL: I guess what our attitude is is that every little bit helps.
DIRCKS: He acknowledges that even with the tax relief, diesel prices are still up significantly from when producers planted in the spring.
VANDERWAL: It's a little bit of a Band-Aid. It certainly doesn't make up the difference.
DIRCKS: Some farmers are noticing the timing of the announcement - right before midterms. Doug Sombke is president of the state Farmers Union, which leans progressive.
DOUG SOMBKE: It's funny how as we get closer to an election, how, all of a sudden, politicians come up with - I would just call it silly solutions.
DIRCKS: Farmers helped Trump get into office. South Dakota, an agriculture-heavy state, supported Trump 60% the last three elections. On Larry Birgen's farm, he says the relationship between farmers and Trump's policies is complicated. Trade policies, in particular, have disrupted markets for American crops.
(SOUNDBITE OF FARM EQUIPMENT RUNNING)
BIRGEN: When if you would have just left things alone, we'd been better off, and you wouldn't have to do all this stuff. So sometimes it feels like you're getting - farmers are getting bought off.
DIRCKS: For NPR News, I'm Jackson Dircks in Beresford, South Dakota. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.