USDA’s Farm Service Agency said it will provide an additional $650 million in funding for its Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program and extend the MASC application deadline to Friday, Jan. 10.
FSA said its deadline for 2024 expenses toward Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program is Jan. 31. The FSCSC covers a percentage of a specialty crop operation’s cost to obtain or renew its on-farm food safety certification, as well as a portion of related expenses.
The USDA said the MASC program will help specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs. FSA has increased the MASC payment limit from $125,000 to $900,000.
MASC helps 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.
- Higher labor costs.
In response to this expanded funding, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance issued the following statement:
“Specialty crop growers across the U.S. are facing severe and unique challenges. As we wrote in December, the USDA’s MASC program is an important step in helping growers recover from this economic battering, and with today’s announcement, we are grateful to the USDA for recognizing that even more was needed.
This additional funding will play a critical role in stabilizing farms, ensuring the strength of our industry, and safeguarding the availability of domestically grown specialty crops, including the nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, which should make up more than half an American’s diet. By also increasing payment limitations and extending the application window, the USDA is providing growers with the much-needed resources and flexibility to navigate these difficult times.”
The USDA announcement follows the SCFBA’s request in December for additional investment in the MASC program and a modified structure for payment limitations after specialty crop production — which it says represents nearly half the farm gate value of U.S. agriculture — was left out of the final year-end economic assistance package negotiated by congressional leaders.
SCFBA is a national coalition of more than 200 specialty crop organizations representing growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products. The organization said specialty crop production, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery and greenhouse commodities, contributes significantly to the U.S economy, accounting for $64.7 billion in farmgate value and 30% of farm cash receipts for crops.
The SCFBA is co-chaired by International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association President Mike Joyner, Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia and National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles.
