Farmers worry about fuel prices - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

Gas prices continue a steady climb across the U.S. and have experts warning that the burden the prices put on farmers may be passed along to consumers in the form of more expensive staple foods, like beef, pork, milk and eggs.

Some farmers will be hit especially hard by the rising prices, as many of them need thousands of gallons of diesel fuel for spring planting. Those who planned ahead will get a discount. 

"It is possible that last September or October they purchased a contract for the fuel that they'll be using right now. So there's a chance that they were able to lock in some lower value fuel," said Mark Hagedorn, an agriculture educator at the University of Wisconsin Extension.

That's what farmer Al Tauscher did, buying his gas early this winter when fuel prices were lower.

The average price for gas in Madison was steady today at $3.89/gallon, according to www.madisongasprices.com

The statewide average was up today, to $3.93/gallon.