Deadline Approaching for USDA’s Marketing Assistance Program for Specialty Crop Producers

The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program provides financial assistance to specialty crop producers to help them expand domestic markets or develop new markets for their crops.

The program is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Approximately $2 billion is available for eligible farmers to expand their businesses.

MASC helps specialty crop producers offset higher marketing costs related to:

• Tenderness and perishability of specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops and herbs;
• Specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control;
• Packaging to prevent damage; 
• Moving perishables to market quickly; and
• Higher labor costs. 

The deadline to apply is January 8.

More information on the program can be found here.