Farm groups disagree over value of Trump’s fuel subsidy
By Jerry Hagstrom, The Hagstrom Report | October 21, 2026
Farm groups today issued a variety of statements reacting to the $8 billion in payments President Trump announced Monday evening to ease farmers’ fuel costs, but they all called for a focus on long-term policies that would make these ad hoc payments unnecessary.
Trump made the announcement at a rally in Wichita, Kan., to support Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who is in a toss-up race with Democrat Adam Hamilton.
Zippy Duvall, president of the Republican-leaning American Farm Bureau Federation, said, “We appreciate President Trump and [Agriculture] Secretary [Brooke] Rollins recognizing that higher diesel prices have squeezed farmers’ bottom lines. By building on the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, USDA will be able to quickly deliver this relief to farm country.”
But perhaps in reaction to Rollins’ statement that the formula for paying row crop growers will be announced in November while the payment system for other commodities will be announced at a later date, Duvall added, “We look forward to working with the president and USDA to ensure specialty crop growers, livestock producers, fishermen and others get the support they need so they can continue growing the food America’s families rely on. We also value the president’s continued support for Congress passing a modernized farm bill, allowing year-round E15 and addressing agriculture’s labor needs.”
National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Sam Kieffer said, “While this relief is welcome, high fuel prices and other input costs continue to squeeze farm margins and threaten the viability of family farms. NAWG remains ready to roll up our sleeves and work with the administration and Congress to address the farm input cost crisis and advance long-term solutions that help keep American wheat growers competitive.”
The National Corn Growers Association said: “We appreciate the administration recognizing how the high cost of inputs, especially diesel fuel prices during harvest time, is adding to the economic pain of America’s farmers. Corn growers are eager to learn more details about the Harvest Fuel Relief Program design and implementation for the 2026 crop year.
“As we work to tackle the many economic challenges facing growers and rural communities, we urge Washington to focus on durable, bipartisan, long-term solutions that will result in lasting improvements to the farm and national economy. Such solutions include passing legislation that will allow for the year-round sale of E15, renewing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, taking actions to improve access to new markets for U.S. farmers, like maritime and sustainable aviation fuel, and passing a robust farm bill. We will continue to work with Congress and the administration to get these priorities over the finish line this year.”
USA Rice President and CEO Peter Bachmann said, “The rice industry continues to face mounting pressure from a barrage of foreign rice imports and sky-high operating costs across the board, and this timely relief will help as we continue to work with Congress and the Trump administration on policy initiatives that allow rural America and our rice-centric communities to remain viable.”
Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union said, “This is the second round of emergency aid this year to address losses that were largely foreseeable. While this assistance will be helpful for some farmers as they manage a costly harvest, trade disruptions and rising fuel costs tied to conflict abroad have put family farmers in a difficult position, and one-time payments can’t provide the stability they need to plan for the future.
“We also have questions about how this program will serve specialty crop growers, who have been asked to submit their own cost data with no clarity yet on whether or how they’ll be covered.
“The need for repeated emergency aid is a clear sign that the farm safety net is failing family farmers. We need to provide long-term certainty and investment in diversifying our fuel sources with renewable options, not a cycle of ad hoc relief. That’s why Congress must commit to passing a strong farm bill that gives family farmers the stable footing they need.”
Mike Lavender, policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said, “Since 2020, ad-hoc farm payments have exceeded $75 billion, and even more if including COVID-19 relief. The Harvest Fuel Relief Program, the latest supplemental assistance program announced this week by USDA, adds another $8 billion to that total. Yet today, countless farms nationwide remain in crisis: Farm bankruptcies hit a six-year high this spring, and farmers are carrying heavier debt loads and are more pessimistic about their future. There’s zero doubt that farmers deserve swift federal action, but these one-time payments are a failing solution. To begin to break the cycle, farmers and rural communities need investments that build reliable and resilient domestic markets for American farmers and support input-reducing conservation practices. Now is the time to reimagine a farm safety that sustainably builds farmer resilience to market disruptions rather than incentivizing overproduction and contributing to the very problem it seeks to solve.”
NSAC also noted, “In the press release, USDA solicited data from non-Title I farmers — including specialty crop growers — on the impacts of high fuel costs on their operations to inform how those program payments should be calculated. The lack of specificity in next steps for specialty crop growers is particularly concerning. NSAC will continue to advocate for the effective and equitable distribution of these funds as well as long-term solutions that build farm resilience and reduce the need for ad hoc spending programs in the future.”
Farm Action said: “Another multibillion-dollar bailout is further evidence of an agricultural economy in crisis. Instead of addressing the policies and corporate power driving up costs and squeezing farm incomes, the administration continues to rely on taxpayer dollars to keep farmers afloat.
“As Farm Action recently reported, farmers are struggling with soaring fuel costs while major oil companies rake in billions. Taxpayers are effectively footing the bill for corporate profits, while farmers remain trapped in a cycle of dependence on government assistance. And with relief again modeled on traditional commodity programs, many farmers may be left waiting or left out altogether.
“The administration should stop celebrating record farm bailouts and start fixing the broken agricultural economy that makes them necessary.”
SOURCE: theFencePost, October 21, 2026
