USDA’S MARKETING ASSISTANCE FOR SPECIALTY CROPS (MASC) AND COMMODITY STORAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CSAP)

The Marketing Assistance Program for Specialty Crops (MASC) program provides $2 billion to expand markets by helping specialty crop producers offset higher marketing costs related to the tenderness and perishability of fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops and herbs; specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control; packaging; moving perishables to market quickly; and higher labor costs.

USDA also created the Commodity Storage Assistance Program (CSAP) to make available commercial storage facilities such as grain elevators and packinghouses necessary for the orderly marketing of commodities by producers experiencing reduced commercial storage access due to 2024 natural disasters. This program builds on the Emergency Grain Storage Assistance Program which helped producers in respond to lost grain storage options after a series of tornadoes, derechos, and flooding in 2021 and 2022. USDA will make $140 million in Commodity Credit Corporation funds available for this program for a wide range of commodities. Producers will have to show that natural disasters caused a loss in commercial storage or marketing. Applications are expected to be available in December 2024.  

Applications for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops will be posted on this website tomorrow.  Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) | Farm Service Agency

All applications for the MASC program must be received by January 8, 2025.

USDA will need the following forms turned into your FSA office by January 8^th to participate in the program.

FSA-1140 MASC 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 (sometimes referred to as HELC) and wetland conservation certification Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification) for the ERP producer and applicable affiliates.  

You can find your nearest FSA office at the following link:  Questions? Find Your Local Service Center | Farmers.gov