U.S. specialty crop payments increased to $2.65 billion

First announced in December 2024, the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program authorized $2 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funds to assist U.S. 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 was increased to $2.65 billion. 

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) has responded to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement of the second round of payments. 

“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. Rising input costs, limited access to labour, unfair trade practices, disruptions to foreign markets and natural disasters ranging from flood to drought all impede their global competitiveness.”