OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, Wis. (NBC 26) — The national average price of gas rose to an all-time high on Monday, creating worry for Northeast Wisconsinites who rely on the fuel for work.
"The price is too high right now," De Pere-Oneida area beef cattle farm owner Greg Verhasselt said.
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With his reserve tank nearly empty, Verhasselt has some decisions to make.
"Should we pay for it right now?" he asked. "Should we wait? Is it gonna get a whole lot worse? Is it gonna get better? Is it gonna be available? Is it not gonna be available?"
Verhasselt says it's a possibility he could also start plowing fields to grow crops at the end of the month.
"When tractors hit the field, a thousand gallons of diesel is gone in a heartbeat," he said.
The farmer mostly runs his equipment with diesel. According to AAA, those prices have risen almost 60 cents in Wisconsin over the last week.
Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan says the unleaded national average could also continue skyrocketing.
"$4.25 to $4.50 a gallon is not out of the realm of possibility," De Haan said.
GasBuddy reportsunleaded costs per gallon are up over 55 cents statewide from last week's average.
"Everything that we use has gone up anywhere from 75 percent to over 100 percent," Verhasselt said.
While he has limited time before he hits the fields, Verhasselt is left hoping he can keep his tractor's tanks full at an affordable cost.
"We used to have reasonable prices on stuff," he said.
According to GasBuddy, the state average per gallon sits at around $3.94 per gallon. In Brown County, prices average $3.87. Oconto County has now topped four dollars a gallon.
