Ag News: Gas Prices Up Again and Tractor and Combine Sales Down

**The nation's average gas price increased for the fourth straight week, rising 15.3 cents from a week ago to $4.46 per gallon.

The national average is up 39.1 cents from a month ago and $1.43 per gallon higher than a year ago.

The national average price of diesel increased three cents in the past week and stands at $5.55 per gallon.

**Tractor and combine sales declined in April for the second month in a row, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

U.S. farm tractor sales fell 22.3% in April compared to 2021, while combine sales declined 5.6%.

Total farm tractor sales are now down 13.7% year-to-date, while combines are down 14.5%.

In Canada, unit sales fell in all segments again for a 19% decline in farm tractor sales, and 14.1% for combine sales.

**From 2007 to 2019, labor force participation rates fell 2.6% for people aged 25 to 64 in the rural U.S. and just 0.7% in urban areas.

USDA's Economic Research Service released data that shows the larger decrease in rural participation reflects a slower recovery in those areas after the Great Recession, from 2007 to 2009.

Labor force participation decreased again from 2019 to 2020 due to the pandemic but decreased less in rural counties than urban counties.