The Trump administration announced on Oct. 19 that USDA will make $8 billion available in one-time payments to U.S. farmers to help cover diesel and other rising production costs during the 2026 harvest.
President Donald Trump unveiled the Harvest Fuel Relief program at a campaign rally in Park City, Kansas. USDA described the program as help with temporary market problems and rising production costs. The program will not repay each farm for its actual fuel bill.
Instead, it will use one formula for all farms to cover part of estimated losses for the crop year. The formula will use reported planted acres, estimated production costs, and USDA forecasts for yields and prices. The Commodity Credit Corporation will fund the program, and the Farm Service Agency will run it.
Farmers will not need crop-insurance coverage to take part. Payment rates for major Title I crops are expected in November, but USDA has not announced when payments will be made. USDA will provide details for other eligible producers later.
Specialty-crop growers and fishermen are among the producers outside Title I invited to submit fuel-cost information for USDA to consider. CBS reported that diesel averaged $6.32 a gallon nationally on Oct. 17. CBS also reported that the national average had reached $6.53 on Sept. 22; a year earlier, it was $3.62.
Because payment rates and timing are still unsettled, farmers do not yet know how much they may receive or when payments will arrive.