Trump Launches $8 Billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for US Farmers Hit by Soaring Diesel Costs

President Trump announced an $8 billion direct-payment program for American farmers on Monday, October 20, designed to offset surging diesel prices during the current harvest season. The program, called the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, was unveiled by Trump at a campaign rally in Kansas and simultaneously posted to his Truth Social account, with the Department of Agriculture formally confirming the initiative. Diesel prices have roughly doubled from a year ago, with the national average now at $6.32 a gallon compared to $3.62 a year prior, a spike driven in part by global supply disruptions tied to the war in the Middle East.

The USDA said payments under the program will be calculated based on planted acres, modeled production costs, and forecasts of yields and prices, with specific per-crop payment rates to be released in November. Based on the latest USDA count of approximately 1.88 million farms in the United States, the $8 billion package works out to an average of roughly $4,250 per farm. The new program follows a $12 billion farm aid package the Trump administration announced in December, as well as a recent executive order easing restrictions on the tax-free use of red-dyed diesel for agricultural and trucking use.