USDA Announces $8 Billion in Harvest Aid for U.S. Farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $8 billion in one-time harvest aid for American farmers, responding to rising fuel and other production costs during the 2026 crop season.

The Harvest Fuel Relief program will make partial payments for modeled crop-year losses. Calculations will use planted acreage, production-cost estimates and projected yields and prices. USDA’s Farm Service Agency will administer the program, but individual payment amounts and an application period have not been announced.

Crop insurance will not be required to participate. Producers of other commodities may submit information on higher fuel costs for consideration as USDA sets payment rates.

The national average on-highway diesel price was $6.276 per gallon on Oct. 19, up from $6.179 on Oct. 12. That road-fuel benchmark includes taxes and does not directly measure what farmers pay for diesel.

The package follows $12 billion in one-time payments delivered to more than 560,000 farmers through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program earlier in 2026. USDA plans to release rates for commodities covered by Title I in November; payment methods for other eligible commodities will follow.