U.S. gas and diesel fuel prices stretched into a third consecutive month of spikes, as the weekly regular average price hit $3.591 per gallon on April 9, up more than 50 cents from the $2.944 conventional price on Jan. 15, 2024.

A disruption in distillery inventory in February was one source of gasoline prices spiking after several weeks of gradual decline at the pump.
BP’s refinery in Whiting, Indiana, experienced an unplanned outage in early February and was expected to return to full production in March, according to reporting by Reuters. The plant produces 435,000 barrels per day in regular operations.

In the gripping finale of our 2023 NCBA coverage, Bridgette Readel of Rural Minds discusses mental health resources in rural America; the University of Tennessee’s Troy Rowan gives producers advice on developing a bull-buying game plan; and Dave Weaber from Terrain talks through ways the industry can rebuild the national cow herd after drought.

The USDA has expanded its Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Projects (HFMIP), a pilot program that helps participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchase more milk.