Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers were "

Matt Bell, 52, has been farming for more than half his life in central North Carolina. He grows soybeans, corn and wheat and raises beef cattle on more than 1,000 acres. But Bell, who voted for President Trump, says soaring prices for fuel, fertilizer, and equipment are hurting his farm and leading some of his fellow farmers to consider calling it quits once this growing season ends.

"I've done this 34 years. I have never worried and stressed like I have the last year," Bell told CBS News in an interview on Wednesday at his farm in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

Bell has been forced to make significant changes to his operation as a result of the high costs. He's shifting some of his acreage, trying to stretch out the lifespan of his equipment and producing his own fertilizer. His children have also opened up a storefront where visitors can pick pumpkins and take hay rides in the fall. But Bell is still feeling the pinch.

"We've cut everything we can cut," he said. "The last several years in agriculture have been terrible, and we have, you know, just cut the fat anywhere we could. But we're just getting to the point now there's nothing left to cut. You cannot run without fuel. You cannot run without fertilizer. You have to have that."

The war with Iran has driven up fuel costs and created supply chain disruptions as the Strait of Hormuz remains under a naval blockade with a limited number of oil tankers allowed through the critical waterway. And the intensifying conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia and attacks by other Iranian proxy forces on Saudi infrastructure are squeezing global fuel supplies in the Red Sea and contributing to a spike in global fuel costs .

Fighting in Russia and Ukraine has also limited oil refining capacity, driving up prices further.

Diesel prices nationwide are averaging roughly $6.40 per gallon, according to AAA , nearly double the average price a year ago. In North Carolina Thursday, diesel prices hit their highest recorded average of $6.19 per gallon.

Prices have been so volatile that Bell said the price he's quoted from his distributor in the morning is only valid until the afternoon — when it rises again. He can't avoid the expense — his farm equipment runs on diesel. Bell showed CBS News his combine, which he says now requires about $600 worth of diesel fuel per day. That's more than twice what he paid last year.

Bell said he blew through his yearly fuel budget of $35,000 in August. Now, he expects his total for the year to be closer to $50,000 to $60,000.

"Every piece of equipment on this farm runs on diesel," he said. Without it, his farm wouldn't be able to function.

It's not just diesel prices that are hurting Bell's business. President Trump's wide-ranging tariffs have also driven up costs — and left him and other farmers in limbo as the president continues to threaten to impose more tariffs.

"Everything we're touching, the fertilizer, fuel, chemicals, seed, parts — you know, the whole nine yards, Everything that we touch has gone up," Bell said, noting that many of the price hikes resulted from Mr. Trump's tariff policies.

Farmers welcomed Mr.