12/18/2024
Are you an urban producer curious about becoming an established FSA customer? Have you ever wondered if there are FSA programs that could benefit you?
Now is a great time to start participating.
We are now accepting applications for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crop (MASC) program. MASC provides financial assistance to specialty crop producers to help expand domestic markets or develop new markets for eligible crops.
MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops grown in the US:
🍓 Fruits (fresh, dried);
🥦 Vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed);
🌰 Tree nuts;
🌱 Nursery crops, Christmas trees, floriculture; Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices; and
🍯 Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass, and grass seed.
Eligible producers must be in the business of producing a specialty crop 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.
This program is available to urban and suburban producers including individuals, farm businesses, nonprofit organizations, and producers who are new to the production of specialty crops. Producers do not need to have a farm number to apply for MASC but will be asked to fill out the applicable eligibility documents.
We encourage all urban producers to apply for MASC by the Jan. 8, 2025 deadline.
To fill out an application, find eligibility requirements, and find your FSA office visit the link in our comments.
Graphic by USDA
