Additional $1.3B in specialty crop funds available

A second round of USDA’s Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program payments will provide up to $1.3 billion for specialty crop producers. 

First announced in December 2024, MASC authorized $2 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funds to assist specialty crop growers with rising input costs and aid in the expansion of domestic markets. In January 2025, in response to stakeholder feedback and program demand, funding for MASC was increased to $2.65 billion. 

USDA’s Farm Service Agency has already delivered just under $900 million in first round payments to eligible producers, according to the agency. 

The MASC application period closed Jan. 10.

MASC is designed to help specialty crop producers meet higher marketing costs related to perishability of specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops and herbs; specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control; packaging to prevent damage; moving perishables to market quickly; and higher labor costs.

MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops:

• fruits (fresh, dried)
• vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed)
• tree nuts
• other specialty crops (including potatoes)

“The USDA’s MASC program is an important step in providing urgently needed assistance to specialty crop growers who are confronting a host of unprecedented challenges,” the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) said in a statement. “Rising input costs, limited access to labor, unfair trade practices, disruptions to foreign markets and natural disasters ranging from flood to drought all impede their global competitiveness.

“We are grateful to Secretary Brooke Rollins and the USDA team for continuing to acknowledge the critical work our farmers do each and every day to produce the fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and horticultural products that enhance the lives of all Americans.”

The SCFBA is co-chaired by Cathy Burns, International Fresh Produce Association CEO; Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, National Potato Council CEO.