Alert

The US Department of Agriculture is making $2 billion available to support the expansion of current markets and the development of new ones. Applications became available December 9, 2024, when the Notice of Funding Availability was published in the Federal Register and are due January 8, 2025.

The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation and announced in November with the $140 million Commodity Storage Assistance Program for facilities impacted by 2024 natural disasters. The program structure is similar to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) announced in 2020.

Details provided by the USDA follow.

To Apply

If eligible, submit a completed Form FSA-1140, MASC Application, to any Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office by January 8, 2025. Specialty crop producers must certify their specialty crop sales for the calendar years 2023 or 2024.

New specialty crop producers must certify 2025 expected sales, submit a Form FSA-1141, MASC New Producer Expected Sales Worksheet, and provide documentation supporting reported sales such as receipts, contracts, acreage reports, and input receipts.

New producers are those who:

• First produced specialty crops in 2023 or 2024 but didn’t have sales due to the immaturity of the crop
• First produced specialty crops in 2024 but didn’t have a complete year of sales
• Will begin growing specialty crops in 2025

MASC applicants, established and new, must also submit the following information to FSA if not already on file at the time of application:

• Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet
• Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity
• Form CCC-941, Average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information
• Form FSA-942, Certification of Income from Farming, Ranching and Forestry Operations, if applicable, for the producer and members of entities
• A highly erodible land conservation (HELC) and wetland conservation certification; Form AD-1026 HELC and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) producer and applicable affiliates
• Other documentation if requested by FSA to support reported specialty crop sales

Review the MASC fact sheet for more detailed information about the application process and required documentation.

Background

The USDA Economic Assistance Program for Specialty Crops program is directed towards producers impacted by higher marketing and handling costs related to specialty crops. The program payment limitation is currently set at $125,000 which could be prorated down if applications exceed funding.

To qualify, farmers need to meet certain income limits and be actively growing crops they plan to sell in 2025.

Payments

According to the USDA, the FSA will calculate MASC payments for established specialty crop growers who certified crop sales in 2023 or 2024, based on the producer’s total specialty crop sales for the calendar year elected by the producer.

Payments for new producers will be based on expected 2025 calendar year sales.

FSA will issue MASC payments after the end of the application period. If demand for MASC payments exceeds available funding, MASC payments may be prorated, and the payment limitation of $125,000 may be lowered. If additional funding is available after MASC payments are issued, FSA may issue an additional payment.

Specialty crop producers interested in applying for MASC benefits, are encouraged to review the program fact sheet for detailed information on program eligibility, required documentation, payment calculations and more.

Details

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
• Transport of perishables to market quickly
• Higher labor costs

MASC Eligibility

To be eligible for MASC, a producer must:

• Have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $900,000 for tax years 2021, 2022, and 2023, unless the producer or legal entity’s average adjusted gross farm income is at least 75 percent of their average AGI
• Be in business at the time of application, maintain an ownership share and share in the risk of producing a specialty crop that will be sold in calendar year 2025

MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops:

• Fruits, fresh and dried
• Vegetables including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed
• Tree nuts
• Nursery crops, Christmas trees, and floriculture
• Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices
• Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass, and grass seed

The USDA lists common examples of specialty crops.

We’re Here to Help

For help with applying for MASC funding, contact your Moss Adams professional.

Additional Resources

• Agribusiness Practice
• Food & Beverage Practice