In This Issue:
Greetings and Happy Holidays! During this season of holiday thankfulness and appreciation, we take the time to acknowledge the service of our community partners, sister agencies, county and state committeepersons, and county office staff. Thank you for your hard work and invaluable service. Success is not by the hands of just one person but by the hands of many.
I’m excited to share that FSA has announced a new program for specialty crop producers - Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program. It’s designed to help specialty crop producers expand domestic markets, develop new markets, and tackle the challenges of rising costs. If you’re a producer of specialty crops, this is your chance to access vital resources to grow your business and explore new opportunities. You can read more about it below. Be aware, the application period ends January 8, 2025.
If you’re needing access to capital FSA offers direct operating and ownership loans as well as guaranteed loans in partnership with your local lender. To assist customers, USDA launched a Loan Assistance Tool (LAT) on farmers.gov to provide farm loan applicants with an interactive online, step-by-step guide through the farm loan process. You can discover FSA loan types, check your eligibility and learn about FSA loan requirements. Contact your local service center to discuss your needs with a loan officer.
Year end is quickly approaching, I encourage everyone to pay attention to several upcoming deadlines:
December 31, 2024 Nonisured Crop Disaster Program (NAP) Application Closing Date for Honey and Maple Sap. With extreme and unpredictable weather, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) can be a useful tool to manage your production loss risks.
January 2, 2025 Reporting deadline for Honeybee Colonies.
January 8, 2025 Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) enrollment deadline.
January 15, 2025 Reporting deadline for Apples, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, and Maple Sap.
January 30, 2025 Deadline to request all Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) assistance for 2024 calendar year losses.
January 31, 2025 Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) deadline for program year 2024
As per usual at the end of the year and around the holiday season, I reflect on the past year, which is my last year as your Pennsylvania Farm Service Agency State Executive Director (SED) due to the administration change. I have learned much throughout my tenure as SED by meeting and conversing with our county office staff, producers, partners, and collaborators. Our successes directly correlated to your input and hard work. Farming is tough – and with many of our staff being producers ourselves, we recognize that - and aimed to serve all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs. Against the odds of drought, heat, high winds, microbursts, rainy conditions, and the like, you have all persevered through 2024. And we will again in 2025. As your partner in addressing some of those seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the staff of this agency has delivered some important programs to aid in making your task a little easier. This is a good partnership, and I was excited each day to be a part of it.
I’m thankful to be a member of the Pennsylvania farming community for the past 30 years of my life. My plate is full of gratitude – for every day that I worked with and for the Pennsylvania FSA team, helping to keep farming families on the land and supporting those who want to become Pennsylvania farmers.
From all of us at Pennsylvania FSA, we wish you all health and happiness during the holidays and into the New Year!
In continuous admiration for all you do, every day, 365 days of the year-
Heidi Secord
State Executive Director
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, aimed at helping specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs, is now accepting applications from Dec. 10, 2024 through Jan. 8, 2025. Funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, MASC was announced in November alongside the $140 million Commodity Storage Assistance Program for facilities impacted by 2024 natural disasters.
MASC helps specialty crop producers meet higher marketing costs related to:
- Perishability of specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursey crops and herbs;
- Specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control;
- Packaging to prevent damage;
- Moving perishables to market quickly; and
- Higher labor costs.
MASC Eligibility
To be eligible for MASC, a producer must be in business at the time of application, maintain an ownership share and share in the risk of producing a specialty crop that will be sold in calendar year 2025.
MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops:
- Fruits (fresh, dried);
- Vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed);
- Tree nuts;
- Nursery crops, Christmas trees, and floriculture;
- Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices; and
- Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass and grass seed.
Applying for MASC
Eligible established specialty crop producers can apply for MASC benefits by completing the FSA-1140, Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program Application, and submitting the form to any FSA county office by Jan. 8, 2025. When applying, eligible specialty crop producers must certify their specialty crop sales for calendar year 2023 or 2024.
New specialty crop producers are required to certify 2025 expected sales, submit an FSA-1141 application and provide certain documentation to support reported sales i.e., receipts, contracts, acreage reports, input receipts, etc. New producers are those who began producing specialty crops in 2023 or 2024 but did not have sales due to the immaturity of the crop, began producing specialty crops in 2024 but did not have a complete year of sales or will begin growing specialty crops in 2025.
MASC applicants, established and new, must also submit the following information to FSA if not already on file at the time of application:
- Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.
- Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity.
- Form CCC-941, Average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information.
- Form FSA-942, Certification of Income from Farming, Ranching and Forestry Operations, if applicable, for the producer and members of entities.
- A highly erodible land conservation (sometimes referred to as HELC) and wetland conservation certification (Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification) for the ERP producer and applicable affiliates.
- Other Documentation if requested by FSA to support reported specialty crop sales.
Most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, will likely have these required forms on file. However, those who are uncertain or want to confirm the status of their forms or producers who may be new to conducting business with FSA, can contact their local FSA county office. For MASC program participation, eligible specialty crop sales only include sales of commercially marketed raw specialty crops grown in the United States by the producer. The portion of sales derived from adding value to a specialty crop (such as sorting, processing, or packaging) is not included when determining eligible sales. Further explanation of what is considered by FSA for specialty crop sales as well as an online MASC decision tool and applicable program forms, are available on the MASC program webpage.
MASC Payments
For established specialty crop growers, those who certify crop sales in 2023 or 2024, FSA will calculate MASC payments based on the producer’s total specialty crop sales for the calendar year elected by the producer. Payments for new producers will be based on their expected 2025 calendar year sales. Payment calculation details and examples are available on the MASC webpage or related questions can be directed to local FSA county office staff.
FSA will issue MASC payments after the end of the application period. If demand for MASC payments exceeds available funding, MASC payments may be prorated, and the payment limitation of $125,000 may be lowered. If additional funding is available after MASC payments are issued, FSA may issue an additional payment.
Specialty crop producers interested in applying for MASC benefits, are encouraged to review the program fact sheet for detailed information on program eligibility, required documentation, payment calculations and more.
More Information
Additional information on MASC is available in the Notice of Funding Availability, which went on public inspection in the Federal Register on Dec. 9, 2024.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) welcomes input on the assessment of environmental impacts on two programs – the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting comments until Jan. 18 on its draft programmatic environmental assessments. The TAP environmental assessment includes updates to streamline the program and enable a quick response to natural disasters. The FSFL environmental assessment recommends continuing the program as currently administered.
The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to consider the potential effects of major federal actions to both the natural and human environments as part of their planning and decision-making processes. Draft programmatic environmental assessments help FSA to determine whether program changes are needed and plan the implementation of proposed updates.
Tree Assistance Program
TAP helps cover the cost of replanting or rehabilitating eligible trees, bushes and vines that produce annual crops that have been damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. This program is crucial for helping producers recover from adverse natural disaster events and ensuring the long-term viability of their agricultural operations. The proposed program implementation update would include additional management tools and screening criteria that allow FSA to respond more quickly and effectively to time-sensitive natural disasters, including plant diseases.
Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
FSFL improves nationwide on-farm storage capacity for upgrading and building farm storage facilities for eligible commodities. The recommendation to continue the program as currently administered is based on a need to improve the ability of agricultural producers to preserve harvested crops, reduce post-harvest losses and improve marketing and sales opportunities.
More Information
Both draft programmatic environmental assessments may be reviewed on the FSA current environmental documents page Written comments regarding the TAP and FSFL programs can be emailed to SM.FPAC.FBC.ENV@usda.gov until Jan. 18.
For detailed program information, view FSA’s TAP and FSFL program fact sheets.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the final approximately $300 million in assistance to distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act. Over the past two years, USDA acted swiftly to assist distressed borrowers in retaining their land and continuing their agricultural operations. Since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, USDA has provided approximately $2.5 billion in assistance to more than 47,800 distressed borrowers.
The assistance announced today is expected to provide $300 million in assistance to over 12,800 distressed direct and guaranteed Farm Loan Programs (FLP) borrowers.
This round of automatic assistance includes approximately:
- $168.5 million for payments in the amount of any outstanding delinquencies on qualifying direct loans as of Nov. 30, 2024, for direct borrowers one or more days delinquent as of that date, and in the amount of any outstanding delinquencies, as of Sept. 30, 2024, on qualifying guaranteed loans of guaranteed borrowers one or more days delinquent or flagged for liquidation on a qualifying loan as of that date (including those who received prior IRA 22006 assistance).
- $5 million for payments in the amount of any outstanding delinquencies on qualifying guaranteed loans as of Sept. 30, 2024, for guaranteed borrowers who were delinquent as of Sept. 30, 2024, on a qualifying loan but by fewer than 30 days and were therefore not eligible for the assistance announced on Oct. 7, 2024.
- $67.3 million for payment of the next installment due on all FLP direct loans for borrowers that received direct borrower delinquency assistance under IRA 22006 announced on Oct. 7, 2024, not to exceed the remaining balance.
- $35 million for payment in the amount of the next installment due on qualifying direct loans for borrowers that restructured or who have accepted an offer to restructure, a qualifying direct loan between March 27, 2023, and today through primary loan servicing available through FSA. This assistance will be equal to the amount of the next installment (first applied toward any delinquency) for all qualifying direct loans held by the borrower, not to exceed the remaining balance. For any borrowers who have accepted an offer to restructure, payment will be equal to the next installment for all qualifying direct loans post-restructure, not to exceed the remaining balance.
- $9 million for the payment of outstanding direct Emergency Loans as of Nov. 30, 2024.
- $4.1 million in assistance for borrowers of qualifying direct loans with protective advances outstanding as of Nov. 30, 2024, and borrowers of qualifying guaranteed loans with protective or emergency advances as of Sept. 30, 2024. Protective advances are defined in 7 C.F.R. 761.2 and are those made consistent with 7 C.F.R. 765.203 or 762.149; emergency advances are those made consistent with 7 C.F.R. 762.146(a)(3). For direct loan borrowers, payments will be in the amount of the outstanding protective advance as of Nov. 30, 2024, where possible based on the structure of the account. For guaranteed loan borrowers, payments will be in the amount of the outstanding protective or emergency advance balance as of Sept. 30, 2024, where possible based on the structure of the account.
- $3.9 million for payment of outstanding interest for direct borrowers whose interest exceeds their principal debt owed as of Nov. 30, 2024.
- $1.8 million for payment of outstanding Economic Emergency (EE) loans for borrowers who have both EE loans and qualifying Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act loans as of Nov. 30, 2024.
- $109,000 for the payment of outstanding non-capitalized interest for all direct borrowers as of Nov. 30, 2024.
FLP payment eligibility is determined on a loan-by-loan basis. Distressed borrowers may be able to receive assistance under multiple categories if they have multiple direct or guaranteed loans that qualify, however each qualifying loan may only receive one payment. FLP direct and guaranteed borrowers who have a loan that qualifies under multiple categories of assistance above will receive a payment on that loan based on the option that provides the greatest payment amount, except in cases where the loan is eligible for payment of non-capitalized interest, which can be applied to that loan along with another assistance category.
Any distressed direct and guaranteed borrowers who qualify for these forms of assistance and are currently in bankruptcy will be addressed using the same case-by-case review process announced in October 2022 for complex cases.
While FSA does not at this time anticipate having remaining funds available for additional assistance under IRA Section 22006 after each type of assistance above is issued, if any funds remain at that time, FSA will make a payment on a prorated basis by loan and subject to the availability of funds towards the next installment due on all FLP direct loans, not to exceed the remaining balance, for borrowers who both (i) have direct loans that qualified for assistance under the first bullet above; and (ii) have not received IRA 22006 assistance prior to this announcement. If full next installment payments are made to borrowers who meet (i) and (ii) above, and funds remain available, FSA will provide the same installment assistance on a prorated basis by loan and subject to the availability of funds to borrowers who meet (i) but have received prior IRA 22006 assistance.
Agricultural producers of perishable commodities including fruits, vegetables and floriculture can now get funding for controlled atmosphere storage through Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). Controlled atmosphere storage regulates the concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen in a storage room to increase the shelf life of crops.
In addition to now supporting controlled atmosphere storage, FSFLs also provide low-interest financing to help producers build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
The low-interest funds can also be used for controlled atmosphere storage monitoring equipment, designed to notify facility owners immediately if potential atmospheric concerns are detected. Producers may renovate existing storage facilities to include controlled atmosphere storage monitoring equipment. Authorized loan terms for FSFL renovations are three and five years only.
To assist with monitoring gases and particle concentrations for controlled atmosphere storage, the following equipment, but not limited to, is eligible for an FSFL:
- Optical oxygen sensor.
- Low power CO2 sensor.
- Air quality sensor.
- Gas detection devices.
- Air temperature and relative humidity sensor.
- Water activity meter.
- Temperature stabilized water activity analyzer.
- Precision and performance humidity and temperature transmitter.
Loans of up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement, loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security.
FSFL borrowers do not need to demonstrate lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of agricultural operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers and ranchers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products and underserved producers.
For more information, see the FSFL fact sheet and contact FSA at your local USDA Service Center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program to now include medium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. The program has also been expanded to include assistance for 2024 and 2025 expenses. Producers can apply for assistance on their calendar year 2024 expenses through Jan. 31, 2025. For program year 2025, the application period will be Jan. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026.
Program Details
FSCSC assists specialty crop operations that incurred eligible on-farm food safety certification and expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. FSCSC covers a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing its certification, as well as a portion of related expenses.
Eligible FSCSC applicants must be a specialty crop operation, meet the definition of a small or medium-size business and have paid eligible expenses related to certification.
- A small business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops sold by the applicant during the three-year period preceding the program year of no more than $500,000.
- A medium size business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the three-year period preceding the program year of at least $500,001 but no more than $1,000,000.
Specialty crop operations can receive the following cost assistance:
- Developing a food safety plan for first-time food safety certification.
- Maintaining or updating an existing food safety plan.
- Food safety certification.
- Certification upload fees.
- Microbiological testing for products, soil amendments and water.
FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each eligible cost category. Details about payment rates and limitations are available at farmers.gov/food-safety.
Applying for Assistance
Interested applicants have until Jan. 31, 2025, to apply for assistance for 2024 eligible expenses. FSA will issue payments as applications are processed and approved. For program year 2025, the application period will be January 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026. FSA will issue 50% of the calculated payment for program year 2025 following application approval, with the remaining amount to be paid after the application deadline. If calculated payments exceed the amount of available funding, payments will be prorated.
Specialty crop producers can apply by completing the FSA-888-1, Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) for Program Years 2024 and 2025 application. The application, along with the AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet and SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form, if not already on file with FSA, can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery or via electronic means. Alternatively, producers with an eAuthentication account can apply for FSCSC online. Producers interested in creating an eAuthentication account should visit farmers.gov/sign-in.
Specialty crop producers can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a FSA employee ready to assist. Visit farmers.gov/food-safety for additional program details, eligibility information and forms needed to apply.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to helping navigate the many opportunities we provide to farmers, ranchers, tribal nations, and landowners. Our agency is honored to partner with agricultural producers as they navigate every stage of their operation — from getting started to expanding.
FSA offers a full suite of programs to help agricultural producers access capital, protect the land and manage risk. We recognize it can be challenging for new customers to navigate the agency and get started, so we developed a packet of information that will help producers get to know FSA.
The new FSA Apply Now Packets will ensure a more productive customer experience when visiting with local FSA staff. The forms in the packet are needed for customers to participate in FSA and Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) programs.
• FSA Apply Now Packet for Individuals
• FSA Apply Now Packet for Entities
• FSA Apply Now Packet for Tribal Nations
To access these resources, visit www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/common-forms.
Get started today!
For more information on FSA programs, contact your local FSA office or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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Farm Operating Loans, Direct
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4.750%
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Farm Ownership Loans, Direct
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5.250%
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Farm Ownership Loans, Down Payment
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1.500%
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Emergency Loan
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3.750%
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Farm Ownership – Joint Financing
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3.250%
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Farm Storage Facility Loan, 3 year
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4.125%
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Farm Storage Facility Loan, 5 year
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4.125%
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Farm Storage Facility Loan, 7 year
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4.250%
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Farm Storage Facility Loan, 10 year
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4.375%
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Farm Storage Facility Loan, 12 year
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4.375%
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Commodity Loans
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5.250%
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