From Rising Costs to Mixed Messaging, Farmers and Freight Operators Under Fuel Pressure
I’m feeling a sense of déjà vu — and this time, I can put my finger on it.
It’s that same churning feeling in your gut when something doesn’t quite add up. When what you’re being told doesn’t match what you’re seeing.
I felt it during Covid.
I’ve felt it again over the past year watching a toxic algal bloom cause damage while the messaging struggled to keep up.
And I’m feeling it now.
Because when mixed messages start to creep in — when people are told everything is under control, while at the same time being forced to change how they operate — it creates something more than inconvenience.
It creates confusion.
It creates doubt.
And over time, it chips away at trust in the people responsible for managing the big issues.
Farmers Told To Fill Up At The Pumps
Instead of having their usual on-farm delivery, farmers across parts of SA are being told to drag their fuel carts to service stations to get what they need to keep their wheels turning. At around $3 a litre, filling a mobile fuel cart can cost upwards of $6,000 — and during peak periods, that might only keep machinery running for a couple of days.
For farmers and freight companies, this is more than just a gut feeling.
Mid North transport operator Mills Freightlines saw its fuel bill jump by $18,000 in the first two weeks of March alone — and prices have climbed by up to $1 a litre since then.
Consumers Blamed for “Panic Buying”
But, according to one of the big distributors, there’s been no interruption to fuel allocations. Panic buying has been pointed to as a key factor in distribution pressures — at least that’s the message being communicated publicly. Talk to a farmer though – and they’re hearing a vastly different story.
No one wants to cause “panic”, and we get that, we really do. We felt the same tension during the algal bloom — wanting to avoid alarm, while also not ignoring what people were seeing firsthand.
But there comes a point where trying to keep things calm starts to feel like the reality on the ground is being dismissed.
And when that happens, it doesn’t build confidence — it erodes it.
If You’re Feeling Uneasy – You’re Not Alone
Maybe that’s part of what’s sitting underneath all of this.
That uneasy, churned-up feeling.
Because it’s not just about fuel. It’s about trying to make sense of a situation where once again, the messaging doesn’t quite line up with what we’re seeing. One might go as far to call it gaslighting!
If you’re feeling that — you’re not alone.
We’re being told that panic buying is part of the problem. Maybe it is. But it’s also human nature.
It’s not selfish — it’s instinct.
I’m not going to wait until fuel hits $5 a litre to top up my car. And I don’t think many people would.
That doesn’t make people the problem.
And in the middle of all of this — while we’re trying to do our best to understand what’s happening and what’s still to come, we should definitely cut each other a bit of slack.
If you’re feeling on edge, there are some great resources out there like iFarmWell – supporting regional South Australians through tough times.
