Fields are plowed and planted at Milberger Farms in Pueblo. Irrigation is underway. It is go time for farmers, and it is happening as gas prices are going up.Water is liquid life for farm fields. Gas is liquid life support, vita l for tractors aiding with prepping and planting those fields."We have about 20 to 25 different tractors, different jobs, but they all take fuel, they all drink the same," said Dalton Milberger, a Pueblo County farmer.The fields at Milberger Farms are pristine right now because those tractors have been on the go for weeks. At the same time, the price of gas to keep those tractors moving has spiked."Use your family vacation, for example, you know, you say, oh well, we're going to put it off a couple of months. You can't do that in farming. You got to get it done today regardless if gas is $5 a gallon or $2," Milberger said.The Milbergers do have gas pumps for customers at their retail farm store that double as a fueling site for tractors."So, we buy it by the truckload. Get a little break there, not a lot, still goes up," Milberger said.Locally grown, farm-to-table is a marketing point that allows some cost to be passed on to consumers."Local should fetch a higher price. It's fresher, it tastes better, it's better for you than that cucumber that's been on the truck for two weeks coming from Mexico," Milberger said.There are also limits to the buy local pitch. If prices get too high, shoppers revert to large grocers who get deals by bulk buying from out of state.Farmers watch the weather daily. Right now, they are also paying attention to gas prices."Every morning we go, oooh, but you know we've lived through it, we'll live through it again. It's part of the life of a farmer," Milberger said.For locals who love farm-to-table, the harvest of the earliest spring crops will start in about two to three weeks."This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."_______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less