USDA Announces Additional Payments For Specialty Crop Producers

On Tuesday, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a second round of payments for specialty crop producers through the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program. Rollins said this will provide up to $1.3 billion in additional program assistance. FSA provided just under $900 million in first round payments to eligible producers.

MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops:

Both fresh and dried fruits
Vegetables which includes dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed
Tree nuts
Other specialty crops

“President Trump is again putting farmers first," Rollins said Tuesday. "After a thorough review of USDA funding for certain programs to ensure they align with the President’s policies and uphold our commitment to responsible distribution of American taxpayer dollars, USDA resumed MASC payments. I am happy to announce this second round of support for specialty crop producers today and we are thankful for the work they do to produce the safest, most abundant food supply for our families and the world.”

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, in response to stakeholder feedback and program demand, funding for MASC was increased to $2.65 billion. The MASC application period closed on January 10th of this year.

The program 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
Apecialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control
Packaging to prevent damage
Moving perishables to market quickly
Higher labor costs

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