Dec 12, 2024USDA Marketing for Specialty Crops (MASC) program offers competitiveness funds
Specialty crop competitiveness assistance funds from the USDA are available.
Applications are being accepted for a federal program providing $2 billion to help U.S. specialty crop growers remain competitive.
Eligible producers must submit applications and other forms for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program at local Farm Service Agency offices. You can search for your local USDA Service Center and agency office online.
Applications opened Dec. 10 and close Jan. 8, 2025. Payments are capped at $125,000 per eligible producer.
Get more information, including a fact sheet, about the process by visiting the MASC website.
MASC program details
MASC is aimed at helping specialty crop producers offset higher marketing costs related to perishability, handling and transport costs, packaging and labor.
USDA is also creating the Commodity Storage Assistance Program, which will provide $140 million to help producers access necessary pre-market storage for their crops following severe weather events. Applications for that program are also expected to open this month.
“From providing high-quality, nutritious, American-grown fruits, vegetables and nuts to our nation and the world, to serving as economic pillars of their communities, specialty crop producers play a critical role in the success of U.S. agriculture,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a Nov. 19 release announcing the MASC program. “The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops and Commodity Storage Assistance programs will be important for producers in every corner of the United States, but they come at an especially critical time for Southeastern farmers, who will face a difficult and long recovery after this season’s devastating hurricanes.”
