Ag News

USDA to provide $8 billion under Harvest Fuel Relief Program

On Oct. 19, the Trump administration announced that the USDA will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs.

Similar to the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, the Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) program will provide simple, proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year. This national loss average will be based on FSA reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices.

“Georgia’s farmers are struggling with production costs at every turn. We are grateful that the Trump administration recognized this and chose to help farmers with the Harvest Fuel Relief Program,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said. “The administration’s announcement comes at a pivotal time in the crop year, when farmers are rolling diesel-powered equipment through their fields to harvest the crops that will become consumers’ food and clothing. In the face of historically high fuel prices, these payments are a welcome action that will help mitigate some of the financial hardships our farmers are facing. We look forward to working with the USDA and its agencies to find other ways to help all of our farmers not only survive but thrive.”

The $8 billion in payments provided through the Harvest Fuel Relief program are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Commodity-specific payment rates for Title I commodities will be released in November according to USDA. Payment methodology for other eligible commodities will be announced at a later date. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for participation in the Harvest Fuel Relief program; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the enhanced risk management tools included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.

Producers of non-Title I commodities, including specialty crop growers and fishermen, are encouraged to provide data related to increased fuel costs to HarvestFuel@usda.gov for USDA’s consideration when determining payment rates.

Eligible producers are encouraged to create a Login.gov account in advance of the application period announcement. Pre-filled applications will be available online to producers with a Login.gov account linked to USDA.

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