Trump Announces $8 Billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for Farmers Facing High Diesel Costs

President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program on October 19 to provide one-time payments to American farmers during the 2026 harvest season.

Trump made the announcement at a campaign rally in Park City, Kansas, near Wichita. “Tonight, I’m also pleased to announce that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief program, providing our farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season,” he said. The event supported Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that the program will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs. Payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency.

Secretary Rollins said, “President Trump is the most pro-farmer president of my lifetime and he is continuing to put Farmers First every day. Today, I am proud to announce alongside President Trump more targeted relief is coming to our farmers through the Harvest Fuel Relief program. This $8 billion dollar investment will help bring certainty to our farmers during this harvest so they can continue to feed our nation.”

The program follows a structure similar to the earlier Farmer Bridge Assistance program. It will use a uniform formula to provide proportional support covering a portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year. Calculations will draw on Farm Service Agency-reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost-of-production estimates, and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for yields and prices.

Commodity-specific payment rates for Title I commodities are scheduled for release in November. Methodology for other eligible commodities will be announced later. Crop insurance is not required for participation, though the USDA encourages producers to use enhanced risk-management tools under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Producers of non-Title I commodities, including specialty crops and fishermen, may submit data on increased fuel costs to [email protected] for consideration.

Eligible producers are advised to create a Login.gov account in advance. Pre-filled applications will be available online for those with accounts linked to USDA.

Diesel prices have risen sharply amid disruptions tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict and constraints on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The national average stood near $6.32 per gallon on October 20, up from roughly $3.50 a year earlier, according to AAA data cited in contemporaneous reports. Farmers rely on diesel for machinery and irrigation, with costs particularly elevated during fall harvest operations. More than 64 percent of the soybean crop and nearly half the corn crop had been harvested by the week ending October 18, according to USDA figures.

The announcement builds on prior administration actions, including an earlier executive order expanding access to tax-exempt dyed diesel and a $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program that reached more than 560,000 producers. Recent ARC and PLC payments under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act added nearly $14 billion in gross payments, an increase of approximately $8 billion over prior levels.

The USDA described the Harvest Fuel Relief payments as support for temporary market disruptions and higher input costs rather than a direct per-gallon diesel reimbursement. Payments will be calculated on the national loss model tied to planted acres and production estimates.