Kevin Bowman is the owner of Bowman Orchards. He’s prepping for the start of the “you-pick” season.

Over the years, his farm has moved away from selling mostly wholesale to retail, where visitors can come to the farm directly to pick from a range of berries.

While Bowman expects a busy summer, he’s also preparing for an unpredictable one. Farmers across the country have seen the rippling effects of inflation with rising costs of fuel, fertilizer and equipment parts. And those at home are also seeing the impact of this. The Consumer Price Index estimates that the cost of fresh fruit will rise nearly 7% this year.

In an effort to provide relief to farmers, the White House announced new measures to increase the number of counties eligible for double cropping insurance and expand funding for domestic fertilizer production.

“When we have to do something, we have to do it. You gotta build a trellis for the trees; you gotta do it. All that’s gonna go into effect, and long term, who knows where that will end up?” said Bowman.

Bowman says the price that he pays for fuel has risen from $2 to $6 this year. Now he’s faced with making tough decisions like cutting labor costs.

“Last year, the posts that you see on the young trees were $14 to $15,” he said. “This year, they’re $54 if you could even find them.”

While his farm is forced to make adjustments, Bowman is looking to make it a little easier on consumers who are also struggling with surging prices.

“Instead of having them drive into the orchards or the berry patches, we’re going to allow them to park,” he said, “and then they can either walk in or we’ll put them on trolleys so they don't have to waste gas in line.”

He hopes to keep the cost down for consumers, but says if things don’t change, they’re likely to see price increases between 10 and 20%.