Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops

MASC will provide eligible specialty crop producers with marketing assistance payments that will help them engage in activities that aid in expanding domestic specialty crop markets or in developing new markets for their specialty crops.

Eligible specialty crops include the following: fruits (including dried fruits), vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed), tree nuts, nursery crops, Christmas trees, floriculture, culinary and medicinal herbs and spices, honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass, and grass seed.

To be eligible for MASC, a producer must be in the business of farming at the time of application and be entitled to an ownership share and share in the risk of producing a specialty crop that will be sold in calendar year 2025. In addition, a producer must be one of the following: a citizen of the United States; a resident alien, which means "lawful alien" as defined in 7 CFR 1400.3; a partnership organized under State law; a corporation, limited liability company, or other organizational structure organized under State law; an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined in section 4(b) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); or a foreign person or foreign entity who meets all requirements as described in 7 CFR part 1400. Federal, State, and local governments, including public schools, are not eligible for MASC payments.

Assistance is intended to support specialty crop producers.

Assistance will be available during the MASC enrollment period announced by FSA. Payments will be issued to producers upon completion of the application period.

The assistance will be approved and awarded by FSA to eligible producers. MASC payments will be issued after the end of the application period.

Applicants may request reconsideration of a decision by FSA or appeal decisions to the USDA National Appeals Division.