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The United States Department of Agriculture announced the launch of the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, which provides financial support to specialty crop producers to help them expand or develop markets. Applications for this assistance will be accepted from December 10, 2024, to January 8, 2025. To qualify, producers must be actively engaged in farming specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and floriculture, among others. The program aims to boost domestic market growth and address the challenges specialty crop producers face due to high costs and lower cash receipts.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced changes to the funding and payment limits for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC). The application deadline is extended to January 10, 2025, and the amount of available funding is increased by $650 million, bringing the total to $2.65 billion. Additionally, the payment limit has been raised from $125,000 to $900,000 per person or legal entity, in response to feedback about the high costs of marketing specialty crops. These adjustments are meant to better support specialty crop producers in marketing their products effectively.