Producers may sign up for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program through Jan. 8, 2025. MASC provides financial assistance to specialty crop producers to help expand domestic markets or develop new markets for their crops.
MASC helps specialty crop producers offset higher marketing costs related to:
- Higher labor costs
- Tenderness and perishability of specialty crops
- Specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control
- Packaging to prevent damage
- Moving perishables to market quickly
ELIGIBILITY
MASC covers numerous commercially marketed specialty crops, including citrus.
Eligible producers 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% of their average AGI
- 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
- Be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other organizational structure organized under state law, Indian Tribe or Tribal Organization, or a foreign person or foreign entity who meets certain eligibility requirements
- Comply with the provisions of the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations
- Not have a controlled substance violation
APPLYING
Eligible producers must submit a complete Form FSA-1140, MASC Application to any Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office by Jan. 8, 2025. Find your FSA location here.
MASC applicants must submit the following information to FSA if not already on file:
- Form FSA-1141, Marketing Assistance For Specialty Crops (MASC) New Producer Expected Sales Worksheet. See Instructions for FSA-1141
- 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 and wetland conservation certification (Form AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification)
The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops fact sheet provides more information about applying and required documentation.
PAYMENTS
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 payments are issued, FSA may issue an additional payment.
For established specialty crop growers, those who certify crop sales in 2023 or 2024, FSA will calculate MASC payments 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 their expected 2025 calendar year sales. They must submit FSA-1141, Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) New Producer Expected Sales Worksheet.
Source: USDA FSA
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