{"id":709,"date":"2024-12-18T10:26:49","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T15:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/?p=709"},"modified":"2024-12-18T10:29:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T15:29:42","slug":"overview-of-the-marketing-assistance-for-specialty-crops-masc-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/2024\/12\/overview-of-the-marketing-assistance-for-specialty-crops-masc-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Funding Opportunity for Specialty Crop Producers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Overview of the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) using Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds, offers marketing assistance payments to eligible specialty crop producers. This funding is aimed at expanding domestic specialty crop markets and developing new markets for these crops in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is Eligible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To be eligible for the MASC program, producers must meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Specialty Crop Production<\/strong>: Applicants must be actively producing specialty crops that will be sold in 2025, with a share in the risk and ownership of the crops.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Business Structure<\/strong>: Eligible applicants include U.S. citizens, resident aliens, corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, and qualifying foreign entities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compliance<\/strong>: Producers must comply with \u201cHighly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation\u201d regulations (conservation compliance) and must not have controlled substance violations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Income Limits<\/strong>: The average adjusted gross income (AGI) of the applicant must be less than $900,000 for tax years 2021\u20132023, unless at least 75% of the AGI comes from farming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eligible Crops<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>MASC supports a broad range of specialty crops, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fruits<\/strong> (fresh, dried)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vegetables<\/strong> (including dry edible beans, peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seeds)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Herbs and Spices<\/strong> (culinary and medicinal)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tree Nuts<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Honey, Hops, Maple Sap<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Turfgrass and Grass Seed<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nursery Crops, Christmas Trees, and Floriculture<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For a complete list of eligible crops, visit the FSA website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ineligible Crops<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Certain crops are not eligible for MASC, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Field and Grain Crops<\/strong> (e.g., cotton, peanuts, oilseeds, sugar beets)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Livestock Products<\/strong> (e.g., dairy, eggs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Other Products<\/strong> (e.g., aquatic species, tofu)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Forage, Hay, and Cover Crops<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Apply<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligible producers must submit their MASC applications by <strong>January 8, 2025<\/strong>. To apply, producers must complete the <strong>FSA-1140<\/strong> form and submit it to any FSA county office. Additional required forms include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>FSA-1141<\/strong> (New Producers) for those reporting expected 2025 sales<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AD-2047<\/strong>, <strong>CCC-902<\/strong>, <strong>CCC-941<\/strong>, and others as specified by the FSA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Producers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>New producers are eligible for MASC if they:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Began producing specialty crops in 2023 or 2024, but didn\u2019t have sales due to immaturity, or are starting in 2025.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For new producers, payments will be based on expected 2025 specialty crop sales, with required documentation supporting the expected yield and inventory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Payment Calculation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>MASC payments are based on total specialty crop sales for the elected calendar year (2023 or 2024). Sales are categorized into tiers, and payment factors are determined for each sales range. The payment ranges from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Up to $49,999<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$50,000 &#8211; $99,999<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$100,000 &#8211; $499,999<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>$500,000 &#8211; $999,999<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Over $1 million<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The total payment will be calculated by applying the determined payment factor to each tier, and final payments may be prorated or reduced depending on available funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Application Deadline and Submission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All applications must be submitted by <strong>January 8, 2025<\/strong>, and can be delivered through mail, fax, hand delivery, or electronically. For more information on the application process, visit the FSA website or contact your local FSA office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The MASC program offers essential support for specialty crop producers looking to expand or develop new markets in 2025. Eligible producers must complete the required paperwork and meet the necessary criteria by the January 8 deadline to receive marketing assistance payments. For more details, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsa.usda.gov\/\">FSA&#8217;s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsa.usda.gov\/tools\/informational\/fact-sheets\/marketing-assistance-specialty-crops-program\">Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops fact sheet<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview of the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) using Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds, offers marketing assistance payments to eligible specialty crop producers. This funding is aimed at expanding domestic specialty crop markets and developing new markets for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fsa-programs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":711,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709\/revisions\/711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/evansag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}