🌾 A Fuel-Relief Program to Watch, Pasture Rent on the Rise, Roses Left Unpruned and Rain by Sunday — Your Farm & Garden Report

Or: A Dry Monday in Dunlap — What USDA’s New $8 Billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program Means Before Any Signup Opens, What UT’s 2026 Land-Rent Numbers Say, Why a Rose Doctor’s Big Award Is a Good Reminder to Put the Pruners Away, and the First Real Rain Chance in a While

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Monday, October 26, 2026

Good Monday morning. The National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap is as easygoing as a Sunday drive for most of the week: mostly sunny today with a high near 74, a low around 46 tonight with patchy fog between midnight and 2 a.m., and highs of 73 to 77 through Saturday. Lows stay between 45 and 56, so no frost is in the forecast. The change comes at the end: a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday night and showers likely Sunday, Nov. 1 (60%).

Here’s the roundup. USDA announced a new Harvest Fuel Relief program last Monday, Oct. 19. It’s $8 billion in one-time payments, but there’s no signup yet, and the payment rates for major crops are due in November. UT Extension published its 2026 Tennessee land-rent report, and pasture rent is up 13% statewide from last year. A retired UT plant doctor who spent years studying rose diseases at the Crossville research center just won the American Rose Society’s highest honor, and it’s a good time to share the most common fall rose advice: don’t prune now. And we’ll plan the farm week around that weekend rain. A short checklist is at the end.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Weather: Dry Monday through Saturday. Highs 73–77, lows 45–56. No frost. Rain chances Saturday night (50%) and Sunday (60%).
• Harvest Fuel Relief: $8 billion from USDA. Nothing to sign up for yet. One easy step now: set up a Login.gov account linked to USDA.
• Land rent: Tennessee pasture rent is up 13% from 2025 to 2026. Non-irrigated cropland is up 3%.
• Roses: Fall is not the time to prune. Keep the beds clean, stop feeding and save the pruning for late winter.
• Remember: Clocks fall back Sunday, Nov. 1, the same day as the rain.

🌦️ Six Dry Days, Then the First Good Rain Chance: Plan the Farm Week Around Saturday Night

Here’s what the National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap says, as of its 7:41 a.m. update this morning:

• Today (Monday): Mostly sunny, high near 74. Tonight, low around 46, with patchy fog between midnight and 2 a.m.
• Tuesday through Friday: Sunny to partly sunny, highs 73 to 77, lows 45 to 53, and mostly calm winds.
• Saturday (Halloween): Partly sunny, high near 74. Saturday night: 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, low around 56.
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Showers likely, mostly cloudy, high near 73. Chance of rain is 60%.

What it means for you: Think of it like a long Saturday before the church supper: plenty of time, but the doors open at a set hour. Monday through Friday is good weather for outdoor jobs like hauling and stacking hay, mending a fence or planting bulbs. If you’ve got hay sitting out uncovered, or a pile of feed sacks in the truck bed, plan to get them under a roof by Saturday afternoon. If you’ve been waiting on rain to sow something, the weekend may help. Forecasts this far out can still shift, so check again Thursday or Friday. And if you’re on the road before daylight, slow down in the fog.

👉 Read more (National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast)

⛽ USDA’s New Harvest Fuel Relief Program: $8 Billion Announced, No Signup Yet

On Monday, Oct. 19, USDA announced the Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) program. It sets aside $8 billion for one-time payments to farmers this harvest season to help with temporary market disruptions and higher input costs. This is a national program, not just for Tennessee. Here’s what USDA’s announcement says:

• Who runs it: The Farm Service Agency (FSA), the same agency that runs the local USDA office in Jasper.
• How it’s figured: Like the earlier Farmer Bridge Assistance program, it uses one uniform formula to cover part of the modeled losses for the 2026 crop year. The formula uses planted acres reported to FSA, along with USDA cost-of-production, yield and price estimates.
• When: Payment rates for Title I commodities (major crops like corn, soybeans and wheat) will be released in November. USDA says it will announce the method for other eligible commodities later.
• Crop insurance: You don’t need crop insurance to take part, though USDA encourages producers to look at the risk-management tools available.
• Specialty crops: Growers of crops outside Title I, like fruits and vegetables, are encouraged to send data on their higher fuel costs to HarvestFuel@usda.gov so USDA can consider it when setting payment rates.
• Get ready: USDA encourages eligible producers to create a Login.gov account now. Producers whose Login.gov account is linked to USDA will be able to get pre-filled applications online.

What it means for you: It’s like the preacher announcing a potluck but not the date yet. You don’t need to cook anything today, but it doesn’t hurt to find your casserole dish. There’s nothing to apply for yet. The most useful thing to do this week is make sure the acres you planted this year are reported correctly with FSA, and set up Login.gov if you haven’t. Ask the Jasper USDA Service Center about your own farm at (423) 942-2244. When signup opens, we’ll put it on the fridge list.

👉 Read more (USDA: Harvest Fuel Relief program announcement) · USDA Service Center locator

🏡 What’s a Fair Rent for a Pasture? UT’s 2026 Numbers Are Out

If you rent out a hayfield or pasture, or rent one from a neighbor, UT Extension has a new reference. On Oct. 14, UT published “Tennessee Cropland, Irrigated Cropland and Pastureland Cash Rental Rates for 2026” (publication W377), by Becky Bowling and Aaron Smith. These are statewide averages reported by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), not Sequatchie County figures. Here’s the summary:

• Pastureland: Cash rent rose 13% from 2025 to 2026, and it’s up 50% since 2016.
• Non-irrigated cropland: Up 3% from last year, and up 25.5% since 2016.
• Irrigated cropland: Down 4% from last year, but still up 10.3% since 2016.

What it means for you: A lot of land in the Valley changes hands on a handshake, and a handshake is fine. But like adjusting the price of a dozen eggs at the roadside stand, rent sometimes needs a fresh look. A statewide average is a starting point for a friendly conversation, not a rule. Fences, water, access, soil, and who keeps up the weeds all make a difference on your place. Late fall, after hay season and before spring, is a calm time to sit down with your landowner or tenant. Put what you agree on in writing so nobody has to remember it later. The Sequatchie County Extension office at 423-949-2611 can help you read the numbers.

👉 Read more (UT Extension: 2026 Tennessee cash rental rates, W377)

🌹 A Rose Doctor’s Big Honor, and the Fall Rose Rule: Put the Pruners Away

Some good news from just up the Plateau. Mark Windham, a retired UT plant pathologist (a plant disease doctor), received the American Rose Society’s Gold Honor Medal, the society’s highest honor. The award was presented in early October at the society’s national convention and rose show in Nashville. UT says Windham did much of his research at UT’s Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville. He’s considered one of the nation’s leading experts on rose rosette disease. He also studied black spot and other common rose problems, and co-wrote UT’s e-book A Guide to Rose Diseases and Their Management.

It’s a good week to think about rose care. The Nashville Rose Society’s fall guide gives this advice for October and November:

• Fall is not the time to prune. Save the pruning for late winter or early spring.
• Keep the beds clean. Pick up fallen leaves and debris, since they can carry disease into next year.
• Watch the soil moisture. Roses need less water as they go dormant, but the soil should still be moist. That matters in a dry week like this one.
• Stop all feeding in November.
• Enjoy the last blooms. Some years roses bloom until Thanksgiving, so go ahead and cut a few for the kitchen table.
• Do a soil test before you plan any changes for spring.

What it means for you: Pruning a rose in fall is like waking a sleepy child at bedtime. It can push out tender new growth right before cold weather. Let the bush wind down on its own, keep the ground under it tidy and give it a drink if the week stays dry. If a rose has strange, bright-red, bunched-up new growth with lots of thorns, call the Extension office before you do anything, since that can be a sign of rose rosette.

👉 Read more (UT Institute of Agriculture: Mark Windham’s Gold Honor Medal) · Nashville Rose Society: Fall rose care

📌 Sticky Notes for the Fridge

• This week: Dry in Dunlap Monday through Saturday. Highs 73–77, lows 45–56. No frost expected. Patchy fog late tonight.
• Tuesday, Oct. 27: UT’s calendar day to cut out blackberry and raspberry canes that already fruited.
• Thursday, Oct. 29: Next U.S. Drought Monitor map.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Central: Halloween, and the last regular Dunlap Farmers Market Saturday at the Jeff Johnson Pavilion, Harris Park (confirm before you go). Rain chance (50%) starts Saturday night.
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Clocks fall back one hour. Showers likely (60%). UT says fall alfalfa can be grazed after this date.
• Monday, Nov. 2: 2027 ARC/PLC enrollment opens.
• Friday, Nov. 6, 8 a.m. Central: Tennessee Forage & Grassland Council annual meeting, Crossville.
• Monday, Nov. 9: Last day to apply for winter-storm emergency loans with FSA.
• Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day. USDA Service Centers closed.
• Sunday, Nov. 15: Last day of the Tennessee White Oak Initiative acorn collection.
• November (date not set): USDA expects to release Harvest Fuel Relief payment rates for major crops.
• Friday, Nov. 20: Apply-by date for 2027 NRCS conservation funding in Tennessee.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. USDA Service Centers closed.
• Tuesday, Dec. 1: State water-quality grant proposals due to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
• Early December: UT’s target for getting spring bulbs in the ground.
• Monday, Dec. 7: FSA county committee ballots due.
• Thursday, Dec. 10: AgLead Tennessee applications due.
• Friday, Dec. 11: 2026 ARC/PLC enrollment deadline.
• Mid-December: TAEP approval notices expected.
• Friday, Dec. 18: Dairy Margin Coverage signup ends.
• Thursday, Dec. 31: Organic Certification Cost Share applications due.

👉 Dunlap–Sequatchie County Chamber events · Dunlap Farmers Market · UT Extension Sequatchie County

✅ Your Farm & Garden Checklist for This Dry-Then-Rainy Week

• ✅ Do your outdoor jobs Monday through Friday: hay hauling, fence fixing, bulb planting.
• ✅ Get uncovered hay and feed under a roof by Saturday afternoon.
• ✅ Watch for fog on the early drive tonight.
• ✅ If you farm, set up a Login.gov account linked to USDA. Then wait for the official Harvest Fuel Relief signup.
• ✅ Make sure your 2026 planted acres are reported correctly with the Jasper FSA office.
• ✅ If you rent land or rent it out, read UT’s 2026 rent numbers and plan a friendly talk this winter. Write down what you agree on.
• ✅ Leave the rose pruners in the shed. Rake up rose leaves, give the bushes a drink if it stays dry and cut the last blooms for the table.
• ✅ Write “Nov. 1: clocks fall back, rain likely” on the barn calendar.

Practical rule: Work while it’s dry, get the hay under a roof by Saturday, set up Login.gov but wait for the real signup, and don’t prune the roses until late winter.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Farm & Garden Glossary

• Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR): A new USDA program announced Oct. 19, 2026, that will make one-time payments to farmers to help with market disruptions and higher input costs.
• Input costs: What it costs to raise a crop or livestock, like fuel, fertilizer, seed and feed.
• Title I commodities: Major crops covered by the main farm safety-net programs, like corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and peanuts.
• Login.gov: A free, secure government sign-in. One account lets you use many federal websites, including USDA’s.
• FSA: Farm Service Agency, the USDA agency that runs farm programs and loans. Sequatchie County is served by the Jasper office.
• Cash rent: A set dollar amount paid per acre to rent land, as opposed to sharing part of the crop.
• NASS: National Agricultural Statistics Service, the USDA office that surveys farmers and publishes farm statistics.
• Plant pathologist: A scientist who studies plant diseases. You could call it a plant doctor.
• Rose rosette disease: A serious rose disease spread by tiny mites. Signs include red, bunched-up new growth with lots of thorns.
• Dormant: Resting. A plant that has stopped growing for the season.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sign up for Harvest Fuel Relief now?

No. As of USDA’s Oct. 19 announcement, no application period has been announced. Payment rates for major crops are expected in November. USDA suggests setting up a Login.gov account linked to USDA so you can use a pre-filled application online when signup opens.

Do I need crop insurance to get a Harvest Fuel Relief payment?

USDA says crop insurance is not required to take part, though it encourages producers to look at the risk-management tools available.

I only raise cattle. Does this program cover me?

USDA’s announcement focuses on crops and planted acres. It says the method for commodities other than the major crops will be announced later. Your Jasper USDA Service Center at (423) 942-2244 can tell you what applies once the details are out.

Should I raise or lower my pasture rent because of UT’s report?

That’s up to you and the other party. UT’s numbers are statewide averages from USDA surveys. They’re a useful starting point, but fences, water, access and land quality on your place matter too. The Sequatchie County Extension office at 423-949-2611 can help you think it through.

When should I prune my roses?

Not in fall. Rose growers advise waiting until late winter or early spring. Fall pruning can push out tender new growth right before cold weather.

What does rose rosette look like?

Common signs are bright-red, bunched-up new shoots (sometimes called “witches’ broom”) with lots of extra thorns. If you see it, call the Extension office for advice before you treat or remove anything.

🔗 Other Resources

• National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast
• USDA: Harvest Fuel Relief program announcement
• Login.gov
• UT Extension: Tennessee cash rental rates for 2026 (W377)
• UT Institute of Agriculture: Mark Windham receives Gold Honor Medal
• Nashville Rose Society: A Year of Rose Care, Fall
• UT Extension: 2026 Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden Calendar (W436)
• USDA FSA: National deadlines
• USDA: Service Center locator (Jasper Service Center, 3709 Main St. · 423-942-2244)
• Dunlap–Sequatchie County Chamber of Commerce: Events
• Dunlap Farmers Market
• UT Extension Sequatchie County (170 Church Street, Dunlap · 423-949-2611)
• Dunlap.Today

🏡 Keep Learning, Stay Calm and Come Back to the Porch

Nothing this week needs a rush. The weather gives you six dry days to get ahead of the weekend rain. The new USDA program doesn’t have a signup yet, so there’s nothing to miss. The rent numbers are something to talk over, and the roses can wait until late winter. Pick one job, get the hay under a roof by Saturday, and let Sunday’s rain soak in while you sleep in an extra hour.

When you want the next calm, practical update for Sequatchie Valley readers, pull up a chair at Dunlap.Today.