Specialty crop growers looking for a financial boost now have a fresh lifeline: USDA has locked in payment rates and opened enrollment for its Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program, putting $1.625 billion on the table for eligible producers. Online sign-up through a Login.gov account starts June 1, with prefilled applications available at county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices beginning June 8. The enrollment window closes August 7, and payments will go out as applications are submitted and approved, with individual payment limits capped at $250,000.
In a news release from the Farm Service Agency, Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said she was "committed to ensuring the economic strength of our specialty crop operations." The program is authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and will be administered by FSA. According to the release, payments will begin going out as applications are approved, potentially as early as the first week of sign-up.
Payment Rates and Tiers
The program uses four flat per-acre payment rates: Tier 1 at $650 per acre, Tier 2 at $225 per acre, Tier 3 at $65 per acre, and a separate beans-and-peas rate of $25 per acre. The American Farm Bureau Federation explains that USDA grouped commodities into tiers using national average revenue per crop, so high-revenue crops like strawberries and fresh grapes land in the top tier while lower-revenue crops fall into the lower tiers.
Who Qualifies and What Counts
To qualify, producers must have reported eligible specialty crop acres to FSA by April 24, 2026. Acres reported as cover crops, prevented planted or used for grazing, silage or experimental purposes do not count toward payments. Specialty crops grown in controlled environments are generally ineligible, with mushrooms as the main exception, and there is no crop-insurance linkage requirement tied to this assistance.
The Farm Service Agency notes that it will prepare prefilled applications for producers who timely filed their 2025 acreage reports, which should streamline the process for many growers who already keep close tabs on their paperwork.
What Growers Should Expect
Analysts describe the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program as a one-time bridge payment that will not fully make producers whole. The total budget was bumped up to $1.625 billion, an increase of $625 million from an earlier $1 billion reservation, but the flat per-acre structure still leaves gaps for some operations.
Agri-Pulse reports that growers with high-intensity operations may find the flat rates fall short of covering their actual costs, a shortfall that advocates say will keep pressure on policymakers. Local county FSA offices and trade associations are urging producers to double-check their acreage reports before filing applications so payments are calculated correctly.
How to Apply and Paperwork to Check
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, FSA will prepare a prefilled CCC-556 application for each eligible producer. Applications will be available electronically starting June 1 and in person at FSA county offices beginning June 8.
Producers are urged to confirm that core eligibility forms CCC-902, CCC-941 and AD-1026 are on file. The Farm Bureau summary notes that these forms may be submitted later if needed, as long as they are in by August 9, 2027. Farmers who do not use Login.gov can still enroll by working directly with staff at their county FSA office.
Producers with questions are encouraged to contact their local county FSA office for help navigating the process. The enrollment details have been picked up widely, including by the Oklahoma Farm Report, which summarized the USDA release for regional audiences. Extension services and trade groups are expected to hold outreach sessions ahead of the June 1 online sign-up date so growers can sort out eligibility and paperwork before deadlines start closing in.
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