As Wisconsin farmers push through harvest with diesel prices near historic highs, neighboring Iowa has temporarily relaxed restrictions on dyed diesel for agricultural hauling — a move Wisconsin cannot simply copy through action by the governor alone.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster emergency proclamation Oct. 6 allowing dyed diesel to be used in highway vehicles hauling several agricultural products. She expanded the order a day later to include livestock, livestock feed, soybean meal and other farm products. The Iowa exemption runs through Feb. 2, 2027, unless it is ended or extended earlier.

The change comes at a painful time for Wisconsin farms. AAA listed the statewide average price of on-road diesel at $6.18 per gallon Tuesday, compared with about $3.42 a gallon one year earlier. Wisconsin diesel reached a record statewide average of $6.62 on Sept. 22.

Dan Roe, a Monticello grain grower with Pleasant Grain, said his operation is seeing the increase firsthand. “Diesel is $2.25 if not $2.75 per gallon more than last year,” Roe said. “I would say about a 60% increase minimum. Farming, no matter if grain or dairy, is a very intense user of energy this time of year.”