Photo: Public Domain Dedication (CC0).
Green coffee producers in the United States (we’re looking at you, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and maybe a little bit California) can tap into a new $2 billion direct payment program designed to assist specialty crop producers.
The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, officially launched by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) on Dec. 9, is designed to help U.S. crop producers offset rising production and marketing costs while expanding markets.
Based on crop volume, producers can receive up to $125,000, although payments may be prorated downward if demand exceeds available funding. The USDA said that additional funding, “if available,” could result in supplemental payments after the initial disbursement.
“Specialty crop growers have typically faced higher marketing and handling costs relative to non-specialty crop producers due to the perishability of fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops and herbs,” FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said in an announcement of the program. “Through this marketing assistance program, we can expand U.S. specialty crop consumption and markets by providing specialty crop producers the financial support needed to help them engage in activities that broaden and enhance strategies and opportunities for marketing their commodities.”
The application window for the program is open now through Jan. 8, 2025.
Eligible producers must be engaged in crop production at the time of application, with sales planned for calendar year 2025. According to a member notice recently sent out by the Hawaii Coffee Association, an industry trade group, payments through the program are associated with coffee cherry production, as opposed to value-adding activities such as post-harvest processing or roasting.
Eligible applicants must also have an average adjusted gross income of less than $900,000, unless at least 75% of the adjusted gross income comes from farming, and an ownership share and risk in producing the crop. See all the eligibility requirements here.
[Editor’s note: This story has been updated. The original version did not mention Puerto Rico, which is included in FAS services.]
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