U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently announced payment rates and enrollment periods for the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be assisting $1.625 billion in payments to eligible specialty crop producers. This comes as an effect of elevated input costs and market disruptions.
Specialty crop producers who have a login.gov account can submit their pre-filled applications now. Producers who do not have a login.gov account can enroll at their local farm service agency beginning June 8. The enrollment period ends August 7, 2026.
Secretary Rollins said, “The Trump administration continues to put farmers first and is committed to ensuring the economic strength of our specialty crop operations as we continue opening new markets abroad and strengthening demand domestically for American produce. Building on the success of the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, we are using an expedited program application and payment process through the One Farmer, One File system to ensure specialty crop producers also receive the necessary financial assistance as quickly as possible, while we work to build a more robust market with lower input costs and more opportunities.
According to a press release by the USDA, “Specialty crop payments are intended to provide financial support to allow producers to pay for production and marketing inputs in the face of significant market disruptions during the 2025 growing season.”
Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.