USDA Announces Big Investments in Specialty-Crop Farmers
This week, the USDA announced over $2 billion in assistance for specialty-crop farmers! Application periods for the two new programs will open in December 2024. These initiatives will not only expand market opportunities for domestically grown crops but increase food security by helping farmers maintain a strong supply.
This announcement is very timely for southern crop farmers. The USDA anticipates high sign-up rates in the Southeast, where hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton caused much devastation.
“The … programs will be important for producers in every corner of the United States, but they come at an especially critical time for southeastern farmers, who will face a difficult and long recovery after this season’s devastating hurricanes.”
—Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary
Both initiatives will increase viability for specialty-crop farmers and build on other programs already in place.
Commodity Storage Assistance Program
This program helps producers gain access to important storage facilities, like grain elevators and packinghouses. In the wake of 2024 natural disasters, many farmers are facing reduced access to appropriate spaces and tools to store their wares. Any specialty-crop producer who can demonstrate how these natural disasters have reduced their commercial storage or marketing capacities will be eligible.
Marketing Assistance Program for Specialty Crops
This initiative helps farmers who grow crops that are more susceptible to spoilage. Since associated costs are typically higher because of a shorter shelf life, this assistance will be a game changer. It will ensure that more fruits and vegetables make it to market and strengthen the domestic supply of these important commodities.
This program will work in tandem with the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, which helps the specialty-crop sector increase global exports and expand to new markets.
Benefits of Supporting Specialty-Crop Growers
These initiatives are great news for Transfarmation™ farmers and specialty-crop farmers nationwide. A Farm Action report from earlier this year highlights just how reliant the United States has become on other countries for important fruits and vegetables. We increasingly import more than we grow domestically. In order for us to balance that deficit, specialty-crop farmers need more support, and the USDA’s new programs are a great place to start.