Trucking News · Nationwide · October 25, 2026

$8 Billion in Farm Diesel Aid Won't Arrive Until After the Election

Farmers hit by high diesel prices this harvest season are in line for $8 billion in federal relief, but a U.S. Department of Agriculture official says the money will not go out until after the Nov. 3 election.

The timing was reported Friday, Oct. 23, by Reuters, in a story carried by KSL.

"Close to the end of the year"

USDA official Richard Fordyce told Reuters the exact timing of the payments is still to be determined.

"It's going to be close to the end of the year, would be my guess," Fordyce said.

President Donald Trump announced the aid at a rally in Kansas on Monday, Oct. 19, according to Reuters, as part of a set of actions aimed at offering relief from high fuel prices.

How payments will work

According to Fordyce, farmers of commodities such as soybeans, corn and rice will receive payments based on USDA models of average fuel expenditures. Producers will not need to submit receipts, Reuters reported.

Fordyce said the agency feels confident in its $8 billion figure.

The USDA's Economic Research Service projects farmers will spend nearly $5 billion more on fuel than last year, according to the report.

Where the money comes from

The money will come from the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation, Reuters reported. That fund also paid for $12 billion in tariff relief for farmers earlier this year. Fordyce said there is enough money in it to cover the diesel relief.

With this aid, government payments to farmers would reach a record $55.4 billion, exceeding the previous high of $45 billion in 2020, when farmers received pandemic assistance, according to the report.

What it means for truckers

The program is aimed at farmers. Nothing in the report indicates it covers trucking companies or owner-operators, including those who haul grain and produce to market on the same high-priced diesel.

Drivers watching their own fuel bill can run the numbers with the free truck fuel cost calculator. For a look at how diesel prices are hitting port truckers in California, read California port truckers say $8 diesel is "killing the business".

A question for readers

Farmers will get diesel help based on average fuel use, with no receipts required.

Should owner-operators get a diesel relief program of their own, or should fuel relief stay focused on agriculture?

Save this story for later

Save this to Pinterest