OKEECHOBEE — Gas prices in Okeechobee County started to hit $3.99 on March 18 and could soon be over the $4 mark as prices continue to rise due to the war in Iran.

Gas stations in Belle Glade have already crossed into $4 per gallon territory according to data gathered by GasBuddy.

Diesel prices in Okeechobee started to rise over $5 per gallon, with data gathered by GasBuddy showing the lowest prices for a gallon of diesel sitting at $5.19 in the area. Higher diesel prices could have an inflationary effect on the prices of goods in the economy, as diesel is a key fuel for shipping and manufacturing goods.

Higher diesel prices also affect farmers, who already operate on thin margins. But it isn’t just rising diesel costs that farmers have to contend with. Farmers are seeing input costs increase on multiple fronts due to the Iran conflict. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz near Iran has also caused a spike in fertilizer prices worldwide.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has urged the Trump administration to take immediate action to stabilize fertilizer supply chains.

Large amounts of fertilizer inputs, including urea, ammonia, phosphates and sulfur, move through the Strait of Hormuz each year, creating a major choke point for agricultural supply chains.

“Without strategically prioritizing the delivery of critical farm inputs such as urea, ammonia, nitrogen, phosphate, and sulfur-based products, the U.S. risks a shortfall in crops,” said the AFBF in a letter addressed to President Trump. “Not only is this a threat to our food security – and by extension our national security – such a production shock could contribute to inflationary pressures across the U.S. economy.”

“We are deeply concerned that failure to act could lead to disruptions to the food supply chain not seen since 2022 when food price inflation reached 40-year highs,” concluded AFBF’s letter.