The US Department of Agriculture will provide $8 billion in emergency diesel assistance to farmers during the harvest season, OilPrice.com reported, as fuel prices remain above $6 a gallon. The support will take the form of one-off payments to eligible farmers under the department’s Harvest Fuel Relief programme.
According to the report, the department said the money would offset part of the losses calculated for the 2026 crop year. Farmers are being encouraged to submit details of their fuel expenditure for consideration. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins presented the assistance as a way to give farmers greater certainty during the harvest and help them maintain the country’s food supply.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of further increases in diesel costs. OilPrice.com put the US price at $6.3187 a gallon on the day before its report, compared with $6.2665 on the preceding Monday. The outlet described diesel prices as being at record highs, despite an agreement between President Trump and President Putin intended to increase supplies to the United States and other countries.
That agreement covers exports of about 2.2 million barrels of diesel in the month of the report, according to OilPrice.com. A further 3.7 million barrels are due in November, followed by 7.5 million barrels shortly afterwards. The reported volumes are destined for the United States and other markets, rather than exclusively for American buyers.
Before the supply agreement, Trump had also lifted the federal tax on red-dye diesel used by farmers, the outlet reported. It described the measure as a tax deferral that had done little to reduce prices, while potentially encouraging other motorists to seek out agricultural diesel. Citing the White House, the report put the federal diesel tax at $0.244 a gallon, equivalent to roughly $60 on a 250-gallon purchase. The new payments add direct financial assistance to those earlier tax and supply measures.