February 17, 2026

Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program: Contact FSA and Reporting Due March 13, 2026

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program assistance for specialty crops and sugar, commodities not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. These one-time bridge payments will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impede exports. Specialty crop producers have until March 13, 2026, to report 2025 acres to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

“President Trump has the backs of our farmers, and today we are building on our Farmer Bridge Assistance program with the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program. Our specialty crop producers continue to feel the negative effects of four years under the Biden Administration, suffering from record inflation, a depleted farm safety net, and delayed disaster assistance,” said Secretary Rollins. “President Trump and the entire cabinet are working every day to fight bidenflation and lower prices for consumers. If our specialty crop producers are not economically able to continue their operations, American families will see a decrease in the food they rely on, wholesome and nutritious fruits and vegetables. Putting Farmers First is essential to the Make America Healthy Again movement and we are doing both at USDA by expanding market opportunities and improving the farm economy for all producers. Today’s specialty crop announcement builds on our efforts to improve markets for real food into American schools, institutions, and family dinner tables.”

The Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program is authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and will be administered by FSA.

Eligible Specialty Crops

ASCF-eligible specialty crops include: (A) Almond, Apple, Apricot, Aronia berry, Artichoke, Asparagus, Avocado (B) Banana, Bean (Snap or green; Lima; Dry edible), Beet (Table), Blackberry, Blueberry, Breadfruit, Broccoli (including Broccoli Raab), Brussels Sprouts (C) Cabbage (including Chinese), Cacao, Carrot, Cashew, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Cherimoya, Cherry, Chestnut (for Nuts), Chive, Citrus, Coconut, Coffee, Collards (including Kale), Cranberry, Cucumber, Currant (D) Date, Dry Edible Beans and Peas* (E) Edamame, Eggplant, Endive (F) Feijou, Fig, Filbert (Hazelnut) (G) Garlic, Gooseberry, Grape (including Raisin), Guava (H) Horseradish (K) Kiwi, Kohlrabi (L) Leek, Lettuce, Litchi (M) Macadamia, Mango, Melon (All Types), Mushroom (Cultivated), Mustard and Other Greens (N) Nectarine (O) Okra, Olive, Onion, Opuntia (P) Papaya, Parsley, Parsnip, Passion Fruit, Pea (Garden; English or Edible Pod; Dry edible), Peach, Pear, Pecan, Pepper, Persimmon, Pineapple, Pistachio, Plum (including Prune), Pomegranate, Potato, Pumpkin (Q) Quince (R) Radish (All Types), Raspberry, Rhubarb, Rutabaga (S) Salsify, Spinach, Squash (Summer and Winter), Strawberry, Suriname Cherry, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard (T) Taro, Tomato (including Tomatillo), Turnip (W) Walnut, Watermelon

*Dry edible beans and peas covered by FBA will not be eligible for ASCF.

ASCF payments are based on reported 2025 planted acres.

Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5 p.m. ET on March 13, 2026. Commodity-specific payment rates will be released by the end of March. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for the ASCF Program. However, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) risk management tools to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.

More information on ASCF is available online at www.fsa.usda.gov/fba or producers can contact their local FSA county office.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Organic Production, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
March 2, 2025

USDA Extends Deadline For The 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties

Trenton, NJ – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will continue to collect the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties through April 18, 2025. Conducted just once every five years, the Census of Horticultural Specialties is the only source of detailed production and sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery, and specialty crop industries, including greenhouse food crops.

Growers are encouraged to complete their survey either online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail as soon as possible. The online questionnaire is user-friendly, accessible on most electronic devices, and saves producers time by calculating totals and automatically skipping questions that do not apply to their operations.

NASS enumerators will also continue gathering data and ask respondents to complete and return their survey form as soon as possible. If those who have received the form are no longer involved in horticultural operations, or need assistance completing the questionnaire, they can call toll-free, 888-424-7828 so their record can be updated.

Producers who receive the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties are required to respond by federal law (Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113), as it is part of the Census of Agriculture program. That same law also requires NASS to keep all individual information confidential.

“This is a great opportunity to show the importance of New Jersey food grown under cover,” stated Bruce Eklund, USDA/NASS NJ State Statistician. “Our end-of-the-year vegetable survey, for example, only shows crops grown in the open.” Growers should have received the survey via mail and or a specific survey code to complete the survey online. If you can’t locate the survey or your code, please contact Bruce at 503.308.0404 or by email at bruce.eklund@usda.gov.

The 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties data is scheduled to be available on December 16, 2025, at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus and in the Quick Stats database at quickstats.nass.usda.gov. For more about the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties, please visit nass.usda.gov/go/hort.

NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture and is committed to providing timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Organic Production, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , ,
December 18, 2024

Hurry – Apply for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program– Applications Due January 8, 2025 – Contact Your Local FSA Office Now

The MASC program, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) using Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds, provides eligible specialty crop producers with marketing assistance payments to help them engage in activities that aid in expanding domestic specialty crop markets or in developing new markets for their specialty crops in 2025.

SPECIALTY CROPS ELIGIBLE – Fruits (fresh, dried) Nursery crops, Christmas trees, and floriculture, Vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed) Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices, Tree nuts, Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass, and grass seed. Payments are capped at $125,000 per producer, and if demand exceeds the allocated $2 billion, payments may be prorated. Final payment factors will be determined after the application period closes.

To be eligible for payments, persons or legal entities must:
• Be in the business of producing a specialty crop at the time of application and be entitled to an ownership share and share in the risk of producing a specialty crop that will be sold in calendar year 2025;
• Be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or other organizational structure organized under State law, Indian Tribe or Tribal Organization, or a foreign person or foreign entity who meets certain eligibility requirements;
• Comply with the provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations, often called the conservation compliance provisions;
• Not have a controlled substance violation;
• Submit a complete MASC application form (FSA-1140) and provide all required documentation as specified in the documents section below.
To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $900,000 for tax years 2021, 2022, and 2023, unless the person or legal entity’s average adjusted gross farm income is at least 75 percent of their average AGI.

Eligible producers can apply by completing the FSA-1140, Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Application, and submitting it to any FSA county office by January 8, 2025.

FSA-1141, Marketing Assistance For Specialty Crops (MASC) New Producer Expected Sales Worksheet (New producers only)
New producers must complete and sign the new producer expected sales worksheet and provide along with their FSA-1140 to any Farm Service Agency county office nationwide.

See link for more information: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/tools/informational/fact-sheets/marketing-assistance-specialty-crops-program 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
September 6, 2022

Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Station Field Tour

Join Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Monmouth County Board of Agriculture for a FREE twilight walking tour of some of the current research projects that are happening at the Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge.

Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Station Field Tour

September 20, 2022

5:30 – 7:00 pm

FREE

Location: 283 Route 539, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514

Pesticide License Recertification Credits Available

  • 1 credit CORE (BASIC SAFETY & HANDLING)
  • 2 credits PP2 (PRIVATE APPLICATOR CATEGORY)
  • 2 credits 10 (DEMONSTRATION & RESEARCH)
  • 2 credits 1A (AGRICULTURAL PLANT)

To register or for more information, contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County at 732-431-7260 or email Catherine.vanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

 

Agenda

5:30 to 6:00 pm: Welcome, Sign-in, and Refreshments

6:00 to 6:15 pm: “Integrated Pest Management for Beginning and Experienced Farmers”

  • Brendon Pearsall – Beginner Farmer Program Coordinator, Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

6:15 to 6:30 pm: “Low Input Native and Ornamental Plant Trials”

  • Bill Errickson – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

6:30 to 6:45 pm: “Growing Ginger and Turmeric in in Moveable High Tunnels”

  • Bill Errickson – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

6:45 to 7:00 pm: “Honey Bee, What’s in Your Pollen? Residuals and Pollen Diversity in Relation to Colony Health”

  • Chelsea Abegg – NJAES – ANR Soils and Plant Technician

7:00 to 7:30 pm: Sign-out for Credits, Course Evaluations

7:30 pm: Monmouth County Board of Agriculture Meeting

 

Flower in pot Flowers in field Plants in field

Descriptions of Presentations

6:00 to 6:15 pm

“Integrated Pest Management for Beginning and Experienced Farmers”

Brendon Pearsall – Beginner Farmer Program Coordinator, Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

RU Ready to Farm: Getting Rooted in the Garden State – The Rutgers NJAES Beginner Farmer Training Program has just concluded its first year of hands-on training at the Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge. The program team will discuss the process of leading 12 first-time farmers through the planning and production of a 46-share CSA program. This year featured many challenges, and the students got to put their IPM training to good use as they were confronted with various pest and disease issues. We will highlight some of the techniques used to minimize the need to spray, including mechanical controls, attracting beneficial insects, and frequent scouting.

 

6:15 to 6:30 pm

“Low Input Native and Ornamental Plant Trials”

William Errickson, M.S. – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

Selecting native and ornamental plants that are well-adapted to the growing conditions in our region can greatly reduce pest and disease issues in the landscape, leading to a reduction in pesticide use, while enhancing the ecosystem services that are provided. This presentation will showcase heat and drought tolerance evaluations of field-grown native ornamental grasses, sun and shade tolerance of container-grown native azaleas, and recent introductions to the All America Selections ornamental plant program.  Specific pest and disease challenges will be discussed in addition to managing abiotic summer stress while limiting the amount pesticides, fertilizers, and water required in the landscape.

 

6:30 to 6:45 pm

“Growing Ginger and Turmeric in in Moveable High Tunnels”

William Errickson, M.S. – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

Fresh baby ginger and turmeric are high-value specialty crops that can be produced in high tunnels in NJ. While ginger is generally a reliable low-input crop, it can be susceptible to soil-borne pathogens if specific cultural practices and crop rotations are not followed. This project evaluates ginger and turmeric production in moveable high tunnels in comparison to field grown ginger. Specific disease problems, controls, and cultural practices will be discussed.

 

6:45 to 7:00 pm

“Honey Bee, What’s in Your Pollen? Residuals and Pollen Diversity in Relation to Colony Health”

Chelsea Abegg – NJAES – ANR Soils and Plant Technician

Something is happening to the honey bees that New Jersey blueberry and cranberry crops depend on and now beekeepers are raising their service fees or refusing to bring their bees to New Jersey crops. With colony health declines during and shortly after NJ pollination services, we will discuss what factors could be influencing these colony declines and how Rutgers is working to the solve the problem.

Filed Under: Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
April 23, 2021

Do you have Phytophthora concerns in your conifer nursery? We are looking for participants in a statewide study

Tim Waller (Cumberland Co.) and Bill Errickson (Monmouth Co.) of Rutgers Cooperative Extension are looking for 30 conifer producers to collaborate in a statewide Phytophthora sampling project, as part of a Specialty Crop Block Grant. This study will focus on identifying the species of Phytophthora limiting conifer production in New Jersey.

  • If your operation is selected, the agents will schedule one to three visits this growing season to collect samples from roots, bark, soil, irrigation systems, and will perform soil testing (Year 1).
  • During years 2 and 3, we will be performing chemical, biological, and cultural disease management trials in addition to conifer variety trials, at Rutgers-NJAES experiment stations. The aim is to generate local data – using local isolates in order to develop a more wholistic set of recommendations when targeting this disease in our NJ nurseries.

The agents also look forward to developing stronger relationships throughout New Jersey in the post-COVID19 era

 

This project is open to nurseries and Christmas tree farms producing conifers in NJ 

If you are interested in this project – please respond via this brief survey (click here) 

Please print and share this PDF survey with anyone not online (click here)

 

Please contact Tim Waller – twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu – (856-451-2800) – for more information

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf Tagged With: , , ,
March 11, 2021

Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting

Registration is now open for the 2021 Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting.

This year’s event will be held virtually on March 24th from 2:00 – 5:30pm.

This annual event is brought to you by Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington, Ocean & Somerset Counties. Seminar topics will benefit those who are involved in commercial production of vegetables and specialty crops.

Pesticide Credits Offered:

  • Core: 1 credit
  • 1A: 4 credits
  • 10: 3 credits
  • PP2: 4 credits

Educational Presentations:

  • Pesticide Safety for Applicators and Handlers: George Hamilton, Ph.D., Specialist in Pest Management
  • Using Growing Degree Day Models: Tim Waller, Ph.D., Agriculture Agent – RCE Cumberland County
  • Cream Ridge IPM Research Updates: William Errickson, Agriculture Agent – RCE Monmouth County & William Hlubik, Agriculture Agent – RCE Middlesex County
  • Challenges in Managing Corn Earworm in Sweet Corn: Kris Holmstrom, Research Program Coordinator in Vegetables
  • Weed Management in Vine and Cole Crops: Thierry Besancon, Ph.D., Specialist in Weed Science
  • Vegetable Disease Updates: Andy Wyenandt, Ph.D., Specialist in Vegetable Crops

For more information and to register, visit https://go.rutgers.edu/2obo91hl

Registration Fee: $15

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,