Trump cut funding for farmers — then unlocked billions for them before Election Day — SkimNews
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- Trump announced $8 billion on Oct. 19 for the USDA’s Harvest Fuel Relief Program, which offers proportional support for part of farmers’ 2026 crop-year diesel losses; payment calculations and processing details remained unresolved.
- USDA announced $57 million on Oct. 26 for independent ranchers to expand meat-processing capacity, providing a rancher-specific tranche just over a week before Election Day.
- USDA said it would purchase nearly $500 million in agricultural commodities from U.S. producers, adding another pre-election measure to the producer-relief package.
- Trump’s war in Iran is driving up diesel prices, and a Democrat-led congressional report found U.S. farmers are on track to spend an additional $2.4 billion specifically because of the conflict.
- USDA cut solar from a popular renewable-energy grant program this month, making it harder for farmers to lower utility bills and add income through on-farm panels while the relief package reinforces fossil-fuel support.
- Mike Lavender called the farmer payments a “failing solution,” pointing to farm bankruptcies at a six-year high this spring, heavier debt loads and more pessimistic producers.
- 2018 farm bill has not been renewed, with competing House and Senate versions pending and advocates saying the midterms will shape much of the future package, including crop insurance and conservation programs.
Why it matters: The $8 billion program gives farmers support before the midterms, but the Iran war is already adding an estimated $2.4 billion to farmers’ diesel spending. Paying for diesel losses while cutting solar from a grant program leaves producers relief from one energy burden without the USDA’s alternative for reducing operating costs.
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