USDA offering $8B in farmer relief payments

Farmers will be eligible to receive one-time payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide relief for high fuel and input costs. 

USDA and President Donald Trump announced Monday night at a rally in Kansas that farmers would have $8 billion made available in the Harvest Fuel Relief program. Farm groups expressed appreciation Tuesday for the relief program, but said they also hope to see long-term policy solutions that will support the farm economy. 

The relief announcement comes as farmers are in the thick of harvest and filling up with diesel fuel at historically high prices — more than $6 per gallon nationally — due to global trade disruptions. The announcement was also made two weeks ahead of a competitive midterm election that has sent Trump and members of his Cabinet across the country to support Republicans on the ticket. 

Speaking at a rally in Park City, Kansas, while supporting Republican candidates U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Ty Masterson, Trump reminded farmers of his efforts to support biofuels and of a recent move to suspend penalties for on-road use of dyed diesel fuel. 

“When the Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers,” Trump said in Kansas after announcing the USDA relief program. “We love our farmers.” 

A news release from USDA said the Harvest Fuel Relief program will “provide simple, proportional support to producers” and use a uniform formula for modeled losses during the 2026 crop year. USDA said the program would be similar to the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program announced at the end of 2025 and distributed this year. 

Both programs were authorized through the Commodity Credit Corporation, the USDA-led and congressionally funded corporation that supports many of the department’s programs. 

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the Harvest Fuel Relief program would “help bring certainty” to farmers so that they can “continue to feed our nation.” 

“President Trump is the most pro-farmer president of my lifetime and he is continuing to put Farmers First every day,” Rollins said in a news release. 

According to USDA, commodity-specific payment rates for Title I crops — major row crops including barley, corn, wheat, soybeans and sorghum — will be released in November. The payment methods for “other eligible commodities” will be announced at a later date. USDA said the program will not be linked to crop insurance. 

National Corn Growers Association President Matt Frostic said corn growers are “eager to learn more details” about the fuel relief program. 

“As we work to tackle the many economic challenges facing growers and rural communities, we urge Washington to focus on durable, bipartisan, long-term solutions that will result in lasting improvements to the farm and national economy,” Frostic said in a statement.

He said actions to pass legislation for the year-round, nationwide sale of E15 fuel, renewed trade agreements between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and to pass a farm bill would support farmers long term. 

A post on X from USDA said farmers can apply for the program online via Login.gov. Pre-filled applications for the assistance program will be available for row crop farmers in January. 

USDA said it will accept data showing increased fuel costs from specialty crop producers and other non-Title I commodity producers, as the department works to determine payment rates for these commodities. Producers are encouraged to send information to [email protected]. 

Farmers Union leaders call for long-term assistance

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew said the organization was questioning how the relief program would help specialty crop producers who were asked to “submit their own cost data” but had “no clarity yet on whether or how they’ll be covered.” 

Larew said the assistance will be “helpful for some farmers” but that rising fuel costs have put family farmers in a “difficult position.” 

“One-time payments can’t provide the stability they need to plan for the future,” Larew said in a statement. “ … We need to provide long-term certainty and investment in diversifying our fuel sources with renewable options, not a cycle of ad hoc relief.” 

In Iowa, the farmers union president was more pointed against the Trump administration and said the “Band-Aid response” would not fix the problems caused by “trade wars and a military war that have put farmers on the front line of the consequences of those policy choices.” Iowa Farmers Union has endorsed Iowa’s Democratic candidates in the upcoming election. 

“We need genuine efforts to help farmers now while fixing the real causes of our current situation,” Aaron Lehman, Iowa Farmers Union president, said. “We need to conclude the war without sacrificing our farmers’ bottom lines. We need to end the monopoly stranglehold on agricultural inputs. We need to become more energy independent by developing sustainable domestic alternatives.” 

USDA and Republican lawmakers are also touting their work passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which included provisions to boost reference prices for farmers and expand the farm safety net, among other initiatives. USDA said the harvest fuel relief program ” builds upon the Trump administration’s unprecedented support for America’s farmers.”