Peak Season, Low Profits: Ventura County Strawberry Farmers Face Fuel Cost Crisis

Peak Season, Low Profits: Ventura County Strawberry Farmers Face Fuel Cost Crisis

OXNARD, Calif.— Farmers are navigating peak harvest season under growing financial pressure. For local grower Uriel Hernandez, the fields are full, but profits are not. “We're in Oxnard, California, so it's pretty much strawberry country,” Hernandez said. Despite a strong harvest, he says rising fuel costs are cutting deeply into his bottom line. Hernandez estimates his farm uses about 200 gallons of diesel each week to power tractors, irrigatio…