$8 Billion on the Table. California Growers, Here's Your Move.
There's eight billion dollars in federal farm relief on the table, and if you're growing specialty crops in California, USDA wants to hear from you.
The department announced its Harvest Fuel Relief Program in October to help farmers dealing with higher production costs and market losses.
Payment rates for traditional commodity crops are expected sometime this month. But when it comes to specialty crops, USDA is still figuring out how those payments will work.
And that's where you come in.
If you're growing fruits, vegetables, nuts or other specialty crops, USDA is asking you to send information about what you're spending on fuel.
That could be fuel bills, gallons purchased or a comparison of your costs between 2025 and 2026.
You can email that information to HarvestFuel@usda.gov.
Now, sending an email doesn't mean you've applied for assistance. USDA is gathering information to help determine payment rates.
You can also get a head start by setting up a Login.gov account linked to USDA.
No application dates have been announced yet.
