The national average diesel price hit a record $6.50 a gallon in September, with off-highway farm diesel close behind at about $6.29 — and governors across three High Plains states have responded by suspending enforcement of dyed-diesel rules during fall harvest and cattle shipping.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt all issued orders in late September allowing farmers and ranchers to run red-dyed, untaxed off-road diesel on state roads, alongside weight-limit increases aimed at cutting per-ton hauling costs.

Dyed diesel is red-dyed off-road fuel sold without motor-fuels tax for agricultural use. Because it is untaxed, state law ordinarily bars its use on public roadways. The governors' orders temporarily lift those restrictions, though key federal limits remain in force.

What did Texas do?

Abbott issued a statewide disaster proclamation on Sept. 28 that suspends state restrictions and penalties on dyed-diesel use on Texas roads — though it does not waive the underlying fuel tax. The proclamation also:

• Suspends oversize and overweight permitting requirements for vehicles hauling fuel, agricultural or timber products, allowing gross weights up to 95,000 pounds.
• Suspends Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) rules to the extent the EPA authorizes.
• Requests an EPA waiver of federal ultra-low sulfur diesel requirements.

Abbott asked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for a temporary Clean Air Act waiver of federal ULSD rules and the TxLED standards that apply in 110 Texas counties. Those rules limit which diesel can be sold, and a waiver would let more fuel reach Texas pumps.

"Texas agriculture and freight run on diesel," Abbott said in a news release. "Record prices put both industries at risk and raise costs for every Texas family. Farmers and truckers can now use dyed diesel on Texas roads, and fuel, crop, and timber loads can move at a higher weight. These steps cut costs on the farm, on the road, and at the store."

Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening said growers welcome any relief on production costs. "Texas farmers and ranchers are struggling with very high costs of production, and Gov. Abbott's efforts will help reduce those costs," Boening said.

How is Missouri easing hauling costs?

Kehoe signed an executive order Sept. 30 that temporarily lifts Missouri's enforcement of red-dyed-diesel restrictions on state highways from Sept. 30 through Oct. 30. The order also raises the livestock hauling weight limit from 85,500 pounds to 90,000 pounds, letting producers move more animals per load.

"This is going to make a real difference for our farmers," Anita Vanderwert, president of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, said in a news release. "Fuel and transportation costs are a real concern as we are seeing diesel rise to almost $7 a gallon. This gives producers some much-needed relief and flexibility."

The order covers only state enforcement. It does not waive federal dyed-diesel restrictions or authorize use on interstates or U.S. highways where federal law prohibits it — a limit haulers will need to track as they route loads.

What is Oklahoma's approach?

Stitt acted Sept. 28 with an order directed to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, the Department of Public Safety and the Corporation Commission. It pauses enforcement of all taxes, regulations and fines levied on the use of red-dyed diesel in farm vehicles, and suspends enforcement actions on dyed diesel in highway vehicles for the next 120 days — a longer window than Missouri's 30-day relief period.

"Oklahoma feeds the world; however, our farmers and ranchers are facing unprecedented challenges as we head into harvest season," Stitt said in a news release. "As their costs increase, so do our prices at the grocery store. The state should ease burdens where it can in order to provide relief for the industry, and for Americans trying to feed their families."

Stitt also instructed the Oklahoma Tax Commission to seek Dyed Diesel Fuel Penalty Relief from the Internal Revenue Service, an acknowledgment that federal exposure, not just state fines, sits behind producers' diesel bills.

What remains unresolved?

All three orders are temporary, condition-report-style interventions rather than structural fixes to fuel supply or price. The federal questions — EPA action on Abbott's ULSD and TxLED waiver request, and IRS action on Oklahoma's penalty relief — will determine whether growers get relief at the pump itself or only on enforcement of road-use rules. With harvest underway and calf shipping and weaning running into year-end, producers will be watching whether Washington matches the states' moves before the orders expire.