USDA announces $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief program for farmers as diesel hits $6.32 a gallon
The Morning Harvest: Farm and Food News, No. 012, Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Market data in this issue comes from the USDA National FOB Review and National Retail Report dated October 16, 2026, AAA diesel prices as of October 19, 2026, and the sources linked under each section.
Today in 30 seconds
Fuel relief: USDA will pay farmers $8 billion in one-time Harvest Fuel Relief payments, announced Monday, October 19. Payment rates for the major row crops come in November, crop insurance is not required, and no payment cap, income limit, or sign-up date has been published.
Why diesel is $6.32: the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz, Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, and a smaller U.S. refining fleet running at 98 percent. Farm diesel is up $2.60 a gallon in a year, adding about $8 an acre to corn harvest and $58 an acre to apples.
Recall check: FDA and CDC have linked raw oysters from Little Wicomico Oyster Company in Virginia to a Salmonella outbreak with 27 cases in 12 states and 5 hospitalizations; the oysters went to 15 states plus Washington, D.C.
Romaine: Salinas shipping point prices are mostly $67.75 to $69.90 per 24-count carton while the advertised store price is $1.00 a pound, about $40 a carton (USDA, October 16).
In season: celery at $1.41 each, lemons at 68 cents each, and green beans at $2.39 a pound, up 35 percent from a year ago.
Could you grow this? Pears: about 3 bushels per mature standard tree, at least two varieties for pollination, and varieties for zone 3 Minnesota through 200-chill-hour Texas.
Garden State: Camden County's one-acre vineyard harvested more than 5,000 pounds of Chambourcin after losing about 30 percent of its crop to the April freeze.
What is USDA's $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief program, and who qualifies?
On Monday night, October 19, 2026, President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) program at a rally in Park City, Kansas, held for Sen. Roger Marshall, whom Trump credited with pushing for the aid. USDA's press release (No. 0137.26, October 19) says the department will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to farmers for the 2026 crop year, aimed at temporary market disruptions and increased input costs. The payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Why diesel is this high. AAA's national diesel average is $6.32 on October 20, up from $3.62 a year ago; the record was $6.53 on September 22. New Jersey is at $6.40, up from $3.55. Farmers mostly buy off-road, red-dyed diesel, which carries no federal or state highway tax; the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) puts that farm price at $5.61 a gallon in September (USDA AMS Illinois data), up $2.60 from $3.01 a year earlier. Crude oil is not at a record. The squeeze is in refining: shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was constrained by the war with Iran, Ukrainian drone strikes shut Russian refinery units and Russia restricted fuel exports, and U.S. refining capacity has fallen from nearly 19 million barrels a day in 2020 to about 18.03 million in June 2026 (EIA), with utilization recently as high as 98 percent. The U.S. diesel crack spread, the refiner's margin over crude, briefly topped $100 a barrel in mid-August, a record. The EIA expects U.S. distillate inventories to stay below five-year lows through much of 2027. Trucking analysts estimate the Trump-Putin agreement to release about 36 million barrels of Russian diesel is worth only 2 to 5 cents a gallon at the pump.
What it costs on the farm. AFBF Market Intel (October 1) estimates the diesel increase adds $7.98 an acre to corn harvest (3.07 gallons an acre), $3.56 for soybeans, $5.28 for cotton, $14 for rice (5.38 gallons an acre), $2.50 for winter wheat, $18.23 for potatoes, $18.67 for almonds, and $57.59 for apples. Example farms: a 279-acre corn farm uses 857 gallons at harvest, about $2,227 extra; a 596-acre rice farm, about $8,337 extra. Iowa State University Extension estimates the ownership and operating cost of a combine rose from $46.36 an acre at February's $2.89 diesel to $51.39 at September's $5.45, and that every $0.50 rise in diesel adds about 5 percent to total machinery cost.
How the money is calculated. USDA will use a single national formula that covers a portion of modeled losses for 2026. The model draws on FSA-reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, and the yields and prices in the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates. Payment rates for Title I commodities (the farm bill's major row crops, such as corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, and peanuts) will be released in November. The method for other crops, including specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, and nuts) and fisheries, will be announced later. Crop insurance enrollment is not required.
What USDA has not said. As of October 20 there is no FSA fact sheet, farmers.gov page, or Federal Register notice. The announcement gives no payment limit, no adjusted gross income limit, no treatment of prevented-plant acres, no sign-up date, and no payment date, and it does not mention livestock. The best guide is the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which USDA says HFR resembles. FBA paid $12 billion to more than 560,000 farmers earlier in 2026. It capped payments at $155,000 per person or legal entity, required average adjusted gross income of $900,000 or less for tax years 2021 to 2023, paid a flat rate per 2025 planted acre ($44.36 for corn, $30.88 for soybeans, $39.35 for wheat), excluded prevented-plant acres, and split payments by the producer shares on form FSA-578. DTN reports HFR payments will not go out before the November 3 election. As a scale check only: $8 billion spread across the roughly 233 million acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton in USDA's June 30 Acreage report is about $31 an acre, before other crops dilute it; HFR's formula is not flat, so actual rates will differ by crop. AFBF estimates 2026 fuel and fertilizer cost increases at about $10.1 billion combined ($4.8 billion fuel, $5.3 billion fertilizer), so the program covers most but not all of the input shock. USDA also says nearly $14 billion in gross ARC and PLC payments went out about two weeks ago. The Commodity Credit Corporation has about $30 billion a year in borrowing authority, and a USDA estimate cited by Brownfield puts total 2026 government payments to farmers at a record $55.4 billion.
Reaction. AFBF president Zippy Duvall welcomed the program and asked that specialty crop, livestock, and fishing producers be included, along with a farm bill, year-round E15, and action on farm labor. National Corn Growers Association president Matt Frostic said the group wants details and durable, long-term solutions. National Farmers Union president Rob Larew said there is no clarity yet for specialty crop producers and opposed a cycle of ad hoc relief. Texas A&M economist Bart Fischer called it a significant infusion but said farmers are tired of emergency aid after nine years of ad hoc payments. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Reason criticized the program as paying for a problem created by the Iran war and tariffs.
The other fuel relief: dyed diesel on the highway. An executive order signed October 5, implemented by IRS release IR-2026-122 on October 14, suspends federal penalties for selling or using dyed diesel in vehicles on public highways from October 1 through December 31, 2026, with no record-keeping or end-use documentation required and no federal roadside inspections. The 24.4-cent-per-gallon federal excise tax is postponed under section 7508A, not forgiven; Form 720 guidance is pending and the IRS says it will explore eliminating the deferred obligation. State fuel taxes and penalties are separate. Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Idaho, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio, and South Dakota have suspended state enforcement for farm or all users. No New Jersey action could be confirmed as of October 20, so check with the New Jersey Division of Taxation before running dyed fuel on public roads.
Context on the crop. The harvest is behind: USDA's Crop Progress report of October 19 put the U.S. corn harvest at 44 percent complete against a five-year average of 52 percent, with soybeans at 64 percent against 65. For shoppers, this is income support for farms, not a price control, and no source projects a grocery price effect.
What to do
Farmers: create a Login.gov account linked to USDA now. USDA says producers with a linked account will receive pre-filled applications when the sign-up period is announced.
Specialty crop growers and fishermen: send fuel cost data (gallons used, price paid, acres, crop) to HarvestFuel@usda.gov. USDA says it will consider the data when setting non-Title I rates; it does not guarantee a payment.
Keep every 2026 fuel receipt. The FBA precedent and the dyed-diesel tax deferral may both require documentation later.
Watch for Title I payment rates in November, and check your state's dyed-diesel rule before using it on public roads.
Shoppers: no change at the register is expected from this program.
Sources: USDA press release No. 0137.26, October 19, 2026; Agri-Pulse, October 19, 2026; AAA fuel prices, October 20, 2026; AFBF Market Intel, Diesel Costs Increase for Harvest, October 1, 2026; OilPrice.com, Why Are Diesel Prices So High?, September 24, 2026; C.H. Robinson October 2026 diesel update; Truckinginfo, October 14, 2026; Iowa State Extension, Addressing Higher Harvest Machinery Costs, September 14, 2026; Federal Register, FBA program notice, February 23, 2026; farmdoc daily, FBA payment rates, January 2026; USDA NASS Acreage, June 30, 2026; DTN, October 20, 2026; Deseret News, October 20, 2026; Oklahoma Farm Report (AFBF statement), October 20, 2026; Iowa Capital Dispatch, October 20, 2026; Brownfield Ag News, October 20, 2026; CBS News, October 20, 2026; Matthew Gammans (UC Davis), October 20, 2026; IRS IR-2026-122, October 14, 2026; RFD-TV on the dyed-diesel order, October 8, 2026; Idaho Capital Sun, October 9, 2026; Farm Progress on USDA Crop Progress, October 19, 2026.
Which oysters are recalled for Salmonella, and what should you do?
Last Wednesday we reported that Virginia closed the Little Wicomico River to shellfish harvesting on October 9. On Monday, October 19, the FDA posted a safety alert and the CDC opened an outbreak notice explaining why: whole, in-shell raw oysters from Little Wicomico Oyster Company (Virginia shellfish certification VA-1421-SP), harvested from the Little Wicomico River and Little Wicomico River Lower areas from September 18 through October 8, 2026, are linked to a cluster of Salmonella Telelkebir infections. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture identified the outbreak. The company recalled the oysters on October 9.
CDC count as of October 19: 27 illnesses, 5 hospitalizations, 0 deaths, 12 states.
Distribution per FDA: California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia (15 states plus D.C.), with possible further distribution.
Retail identification: shellstock oysters carry a harvest tag listing the harvester (VA-1421-SP), harvest area, and harvest date. The Georgia Department of Agriculture lists the product as sold at Publix under the name James River Oysters (GTIN 29953900000), purchased September 27 through October 14, 2026.
Oysters from other Virginia growing areas are not part of the recall.
Salmonella illness usually begins 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and lasts four to seven days, with diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Children under five, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness.
Also this week: Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc. of Brooklyn, New York, recalled Starfish Seafood Premium Cold Smoked Norwegian Salmon Sliced (227 g / 8 oz vacuum packs, UPC 4751048940099, lot D080-148, best before 27.11.2027, product of Latvia) for possible Listeria monocytogenes after New York State sampling. It was distributed in New York, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. No illnesses are reported. FDA posted the notice October 16.
What to do
Do not eat, sell, or serve oysters from Little Wicomico Oyster Company. Check harvest tags on anything bought since mid-September; if you cannot tell where oysters came from, throw them out.
Wash containers and surfaces that touched the oysters with hot, soapy water or run them through a dishwasher.
Call a doctor for diarrhea with a fever above 102 F, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than two days, vomiting that keeps you from holding liquids, or signs of dehydration.
If you have the recalled smoked salmon, return it to the store for a refund.
Sources: FDA safety alert, October 19, 2026; CDC outbreak notice, October 19, 2026; Georgia Department of Agriculture recall listing; FDA recall notice for Starfish Seafood smoked salmon, October 16, 2026.
Why is romaine lettuce so expensive at the farm but cheap in store ads?
Romaine is in a supply squeeze. USDA's National FOB Review for October 16, 2026 describes the Salinas-Watsonville, California market as "supply very light, demand exceeds supply, market slightly higher." Shipping point prices (the price at the packing shed, before freight) were:
Salinas romaine, 24-count cartons: $55.50 to $74.75, mostly $67.75 to $69.90. At 24 heads a carton, that is about $2.82 to $2.91 a head at the farm.
Salinas romaine hearts, cartons of 12 three-count packages: $65.65 to $77.90, mostly $69.75 to $72.75, or about $5.81 to $6.06 per three-pack.
Santa Maria romaine 24s: mostly $40.55 to $42.55; organic romaine from South and Central California 24s: mostly $32.00 to $36.00, which is cheaper than conventional Salinas product this week.
Why: Markon, a produce buying cooperative for foodservice, reported on October 15 that disease pressure in Salinas and Santa Maria remains severe, with INSV and Sclerotinia continuing to reduce yields. INSV (impatiens necrotic spot virus) is a thrips-spread virus; Sclerotinia is a soil fungus that rots the base of the plant. Carton weights are inconsistent at 30 to 44 pounds against a trade standard of about 40 pounds, early rain cut New Mexico's planted romaine acreage, and supplies are expected to stay limited until the Arizona and California desert season starts in early November.
The retail side looks upside down. USDA's National Retail Report for October 16 shows romaine advertised at $1.00 a pound (274 ads, versus $1.49 last week and $1.99 a year ago) and romaine hearts at $3.60 per three-pack (327 ads, versus $3.37 last week and $3.13 last year), with Northeast hearts at $3.79 to $4.59 and the Midwest at $4.99. At 40 pounds a carton, $1.00 a pound is about $40 per carton-equivalent, roughly 40 percent below the Salinas shipping point price. Ads are committed weeks in advance and large chains buy much of their lettuce on contract, so the open-market price shows up in stores only with a lag. The early warning is the ad count: romaine heart promotions fell from 1,001 ads to 327 in a single week.
What to do
Shoppers: if your store is still running a romaine ad, buy it now; expect fewer promotions and higher shelf prices until the desert harvest settles in November. Organic romaine may be the better buy this week where the shipping point gap carries through.
Growers and buyers: the Salinas season is closing; Markon expects South Carolina harvest to begin the week of October 19 and the desert in early November.
Sources: USDA National FOB Review, October 16, 2026; USDA National Retail Report, Specialty Crops, October 16, 2026; Markon, Update: Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine, October 15, 2026; Produce Blue Book container net weights.
What produce is in season in late October? Celery, lemons, and green beans
Celery. California's Salinas-Watsonville and Santa Maria districts are shipping. USDA's FOB Review (October 16) has Salinas two-dozen cartons at $14.50 to $26.90, mostly $20.75 to $22.75 (about 86 to 95 cents a stalk), market slightly lower, and Santa Maria mostly $10.55 to $12.55 (44 to 52 cents a stalk). Retail: $1.41 each in 950 ads, down from $1.61 last week and $1.53 a year ago; celery hearts $2.86 a package. Purdue Extension says to pick stalks that are pale to bright green and crisp, avoid wilted leaves or brown spots, and store unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to five days. Growing it: Utah State Extension calls celery a cool-season crop that likes 55 to 65 F and needs about 10 to 12 weeks to reach harvest, so it is a project crop for most home gardens.
Lemons. Central and Southern California and Arizona are shipping; USDA calls supply fairly light and the market steady. Shippers First Grade 7/10-bushel cartons: 95s mostly $28.75 to $31.55 (30 to 33 cents a lemon), 140s mostly $30.55 to $33.60. Retail: 68 cents each in 2,102 ads, versus 69 cents last week and 75 cents a year ago; 2-pound bags $3.45. Utah State Extension says a good lemon is firm, bright yellow, and heavy for its size; it keeps about two weeks on the counter and about six weeks in a bag in the refrigerator. Growing it: Penn State Extension says lemons can be grown in a container even in Pennsylvania; Meyer lemons are hardy to about 22 F and spend winter indoors.
Green beans. South Georgia's fall crop made its first USDA report on October 16 at $36.35 per 1 1/9-bushel carton (about 30 pounds, so roughly $1.21 a pound at the shipping point). Guatemalan haricot verts via South Florida are $12.00 to $14.00 per 5-pound carton. Retail: $2.39 a pound in 1,481 ads, up from $2.19 last week and $1.77 a year ago (35 percent higher); 12-ounce bags $3.75. University of Maine Extension says fresh beans should be straight, slender, and snap when bent; bulging seeds mean they are overripe; keep them in the refrigerator three to five days. Growing them: one of the easiest garden crops; plant small batches every two to three weeks in the warm season.
What to do
The buy of the week is celery, cheaper than last week and last year. Lemons are fairly priced. Green beans are the one to wait on for a couple of weeks while Georgia's crop builds.
Plant: a Meyer lemon in a pot anywhere; green beans next spring (or now in frost-free parts of the South).
Sources: USDA National FOB Review, October 16, 2026; USDA National Retail Report, October 16, 2026; Purdue Extension FoodLink, Celery; Utah State Extension, Celery in the Garden; Utah State Extension, Lemons; Penn State Extension, Grow Your Own Lemons; University of Maine Extension, Green Beans.
Can you grow pears in your backyard?
Pears are one of the most forgiving fruit trees for a home orchard, with varieties that run from USDA zone 3 to the low-chill South. Here is what the extension literature says:
Yield and timing: Virginia Tech's home fruit guide lists a standard pear at about 3 bushels per tree, bearing in 5 to 8 years, with a 35 to 45 year life; a dwarf pear at about half a bushel, bearing in 3 to 4 years, living 15 to 20 years. University of Minnesota Extension says trees can take 3 to 10 years to begin flowering and fruiting.
Spacing and size: University of New Hampshire Extension spaces standard trees 15 to 20 feet apart, semi-dwarf 12 feet, dwarf 8 feet; a mature standard tree is best kept at 15 to 18 feet tall. Virginia Tech's minimums are 25 feet standard and 12 feet dwarf.
Site: full sun all day, well-drained soil with no high water table, soil pH 6.0 to 7.0 (UNH and Minnesota). Oregon State notes pears tolerate heavier, wetter soil better than most tree fruits.
Pollination: UNH says all pear varieties require cross-pollination to set good crops and recommends three or more varieties because pear flowers attract bees less than other blossoms; Seckel and Bartlett do not pollinate each other. A family planting is two trees minimum, three is safer.
Varieties by region: Texas A&M AgriLife's Travis County list gives chill hours of 200 for Kieffer, 250 for Shinseiki (Asian), 300 for Hosui, 350 for Orient, 400 for Moonglow and Magness, and 600 for Warren. Minnesota recommends zone 4 varieties such as Summercrisp, Parker, Luscious, and Juicy Jewel, and Ure with Golden Spice for zone 3.
Fire blight: the main pear disease. UNH names Magness, Potomac, and Moonglow for excellent resistance and Honeysweet and Luscious for good resistance. Minnesota's control: cut at least 6 inches below discolored bark and disinfect pruners between cuts (1 part water to 3 parts denatured alcohol).
Harvest tip: European pears do not ripen well on the tree. Pick them mature but hard, store at 30 to 32 F, then ripen at room temperature for up to a week (UNH; Minnesota).
What to do this month
South and West: pears are planted bare-root while dormant, from fall through early spring in the South and January to March in California, so order trees and run a soil test now.
North: order bare-root trees from nurseries now (Minnesota says late fall through early spring) for planting in April or May; apply tree wrap and push vole guards two inches into the soil in November.
Everyone: pick two or three compatible varieties with fire blight resistance first and flavor second.
Pears are among the tree fruits Curated Nature designs and installs. If you would like a planting plan for your property, start at curatednature.co/backyard-fruit-profits.
Sources: Virginia Tech, Tree Fruit in the Home Garden; University of New Hampshire Extension, Growing Pears in the Home Orchard; University of Minnesota Extension, Growing Pears in the Home Garden; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Fruit and Nut Varieties for Travis County; Oregon State Extension EC 819; University of Arkansas Extension FSA6059; UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County, Pear.
How did New Jersey's wine grape harvest survive the April freeze?
In Blackwood, Camden County, the county-owned one-acre vineyard on the 10-acre Camden County Sustainability Campus finished its sixth harvest in early October with more than 5,000 pounds of Chambourcin, a hybrid wine grape. The county says the vineyard, planted in 2019 and managed by the South Jersey company VineTech, has produced more than 30,000 pounds over six seasons; the grapes go to Amalthea Cellars Farm Winery in Atco for wine. Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. and Commissioner Jonathan Young marked the harvest on October 8.
The harvest came in a brutal year. A late-April freeze, after a warm spell pushed vines into early growth, caused an estimated $300 million in agricultural losses statewide. CBS News Philadelphia reported the Camden County vineyard lost about 30 percent of its crop, while Auburn Road Vineyards in Pilesgrove, Salem County, lost 65 percent; owner Scott Donnini said inland vineyards not close to water lost up to everything. VineTech owner Steven Becker still called it a surprisingly good harvest. Because wine ages before sale, growers say the full financial hit may not be clear until about 2028.
The response is a buy-local push. Visit South Jersey, the tourism nonprofit for Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties, launched Keep It Growin' this month, a campaign and directory steering residents to farm stands, wineries, and farm events through the fall. In Trenton, a bipartisan bill (S4728, introduced October 5, with Assembly companion A5587) would create a $60 million Emergency Crop Loss Relief fund for farmers hit by the freeze; it awaits committee action.
Why it matters beyond New Jersey: a vineyard's losses show up as missing bottles two to three years later, long after the weather is forgotten. Site selection, including the moderating effect of nearby water, is the first frost defense for anyone planting fruit.
What to do
In New Jersey: use the Keep It Growin' directory at visitsouthjersey.com/agritourism and look for Jersey Fresh labels; farmers with 2026 freeze losses can check USDA Farm Service Agency emergency programs under the statewide disaster designation and watch S4728/A5587 at njleg.state.nj.us.
Outside New Jersey: most state agriculture departments run a buy-local or agritourism directory; this is the season to use it.
Sources: Camden County news release, October 8, 2026; CBS News Philadelphia, October 8, 2026; NBC10 Philadelphia, October 6, 2026; Visit South Jersey, Keep It Growin'; New Jersey Monitor on the $60 million relief bill, October 1, 2026; LegiScan, S4728.
From the farm
Today we were aerating golf courses and we got right back to building our structure. Today we got half the roof perlins in!
Want to stop mowing grass and start growing fruit?
If you own land anywhere in the country and want to turn it into a producing orchard, vineyard, or berry planting, Curated Nature can help. We offer remote consulting and design-only plans nationwide, and full installation and ongoing management locally in Southern New Jersey. The process starts with a site visit or remote assessment and soil testing, then a design with climate-appropriate varieties, installation with irrigation and trellising, optional maintenance, and harvest support. Berries typically begin producing in their second year, grapes in their third, and tree fruit in years three to five. Every job is quoted individually.
Start here: Turn Your Yard into a Producing Orchard
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