American farmers spent an estimated $1.4 billion more on diesel fuel during the 2025-2026 planting season than they did a year earlier, according to a new analysis released by the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee.
The report found diesel costs for planting five of the nation's major crops—corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice—increased by 63 percent compared with the previous planting season. The analysis attributes the higher costs to rising diesel prices during the spring planting period and says the increase came at a time when producers were already facing elevated input costs.
Researchers calculated the added expense using diesel price data from the American Automobile Association and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, along with fuel-use estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Iowa State University's Ag Decision Maker program. USDA acreage and planting window data for the five major crops were also used in the analysis.
According to the report, the average farmer spent about $1,538 more to refill a typical on-farm diesel fuel tank during the peak of the 2026 planting season than during the same period in 2025. The study also estimated it cost approximately $205 more to fill a grain truck and about $250 more to fuel a typical farm tractor.
Kansas ranked sixth nationally in the overall increase in planting diesel costs, with producers paying an estimated $83.2 million more than the previous year. The report also ranked Kansas fifth nationally in percentage increase, with planting diesel costs rising nearly 84 percent year over year.
The committee noted the estimates cover only diesel used for planting operations and do not include additional fuel expenses associated with activities such as transporting crops to market or operating diesel-powered equipment used in other agricultural operations.