January 9, 2026
BY Erin Krueger
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The USDA on Oct. 19 announced plans to launch a new Harvest Fuel Relief program to provide $8 billion to U.S. farmers to help offset high fuel costs. The one-time payments will be funded through the USDA’s CCC and administered by the FSA.
The USDA maintained its forecast for soybean oil use in biofuel production in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released Oct. 9. The outlook for soybean oil prices was also unchanged.
The USDA on Oct. 9 released its latest Crop Production report, predicting soybean production for beans will reach a record high 4.56 billion bushels in 2026, up 1% when compared to the September forecast and up 7% when compared to 2025.
The USDA on Oct. 6 announced a $180 million investment to launch the USDA’s Seed Sovereignty Initiative, a major effort to both strengthen U.S. agricultural security by protecting the plant genetic resources and enabling ag innovation.
According to the USDA, President Trump’s executive order that lifts taxes on dyed-diesel is expected to represent approximately $640 million in combined federal and state savings across about 224.6 million harvested acres.