Washington D.C — A new Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report detailed how rising diesel prices drove up the cost of planting corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice – five of the country’s most commonly grown crops. According to the report, farmers paid $1.4 billion on diesel alone for planting in 2026, a 63.2 percent increase from the previous year.
Instead of delivering on their promise to lower costs and stand up for farmers, congressional Republicans backed tariffs that raised farm input costs and supported the war with Iran that pushed diesel prices higher. Now, the result is a double whammy: Farmers are paying more to produce and transport food, and families are paying more to put it on the table.
During the 2026 planting season, farmers paid these additional diesel costs amid congressional Republicans’ support for the unpopular Iran War:
- $163 million more in Illinois.
- $151 million more in Iowa.
- Nearly $102 million more in Minnesota.
- Nearly $100 million more in Nebraska.
- Nearly $89 million more in North Dakota.
- More than $83 million more in Kansas.
- More than $81 million more in Indiana.
- Nearly $78 million more in South Dakota.
- More than $69 million more in Texas.
- Nearly $63 million more in Ohio.
The impact was especially severe in several states. Planting diesel costs rose 90.6 percent in Florida and by more than 83 percent in Alabama, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Kansas. And even these figures understate the full burden on farmers as they cover only the diesel used to plant five major crops, excluding higher costs for generators and for transporting agricultural products to market.
“Farmers are getting squeezed from every direction. Tariffs are raising the cost of fertilizer and other essential inputs, while the war with Iran has driven up the diesel costs we pay to plant crops and get food to market,” said Ryan Marquadt, a diversified Iowa farmer and vice president of the Iowa Farmers Union. “Congressional Republican policies are making it harder for independent farms to survive. Republicans in Congress should be lowering costs and investing in supporting small farmers, not making an already difficult business even harder.”
“Farmers help keep food on our tables, but congressional Republicans’ policies are making that job more expensive at every step,” said Unrig Our Economy Campaign Director Leor Tal. “Instead of lowering costs and standing with the people who feed our country, they backed tariffs that raised farm expenses and supported the Iran War that drove fuel costs higher. It is time for congressional Republicans to reverse course, lower costs, and stand with the farmers and families who are bearing the burden.”
Read the Joint Economic Committee – Minority (JEC) report here.
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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About Unrig Our Economy
Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.