Episode Details

Hunter Biram and Ryan Loy are joined by Matt Gammans of North Dakota State University to discuss USDA’s $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief program, announced October 19, 2026. Dr. Gammans walks through the public data USDA says it will use, and compares a payment formula like last winter’s Farmer Bridge Assistance program with options based on per-acre fuel spending. The group also talks through how the payments might stack up against higher diesel and fertilizer costs, and how producers might handle the funds from a cash flow perspective.

 USDA has not released official payment rates, so all estimates discussed are preliminary.