US Farmers Face $1.4B Diesel Fuel Bill Spike

A new study by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats found that U.S. farmers spent an estimated $1.4 billion more on diesel fuel during the 2025-26 planting season than the year before, a 63% increase.

The analysis covered corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice, using fuel price, acreage, and machinery-use data from federal and industry sources.

Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota saw the largest increases in planting fuel costs, with Illinois alone up $163.2 million.