Trump administration announces $8 billion in relief payments for American farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWAY) — The Trump administration announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will make $8 billion available in one-time payments to American farmers to help offset rising production costs and market disruptions during the 2026 harvest season.
President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the funding Oct. 19 as part of a new initiative called the Harvest Fuel Relief program.
According to the USDA, the program will provide financial assistance to eligible agricultural producers based on estimated losses during the 2026 crop year.
The payments will be calculated using a uniform formula that considers planted acreage reported to the Farm Service Agency, production cost estimates and projected crop yields and prices.
The $8 billion in funding is authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and will be administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
Commodity-specific payment rates for crops covered under Title I of federal agricultural law are expected to be announced in November. Payment details for other eligible commodities will be released at a later date.
Unlike some federal agricultural assistance programs, participation in Harvest Fuel Relief will not require producers to carry crop insurance.
The USDA is also seeking information from specialty crop growers, fishermen and other producers of non-Title I commodities about increased fuel costs. Producers can submit that information to HarvestFuel@usda.gov for consideration when the department determines payment rates.
Farmers interested in applying are encouraged to create a Login.gov account and link it to USDA services ahead of the application period. Pre-filled applications will be available online to eligible producers with linked accounts.
The new relief program follows several other federal agricultural assistance efforts announced by the administration.
According to the USDA, the Farmer Bridge Assistance program previously provided $12 billion in one-time payments to more than 560,000 farmers nationwide.
The department also reported nearly $14 billion in gross payments through the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs earlier this month, approximately $8 billion more than it estimates would have been distributed without changes under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.
The USDA has not yet announced when applications for the Harvest Fuel Relief program will open or when farmers can expect to receive payments.
More information is available at USDA.gov/farmers-first.
