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The USDA announced payment rates and the enrollment period for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program, which includes $1.625 billion in funding for eligible specialty crop producers.
The specialty crop program is built on a framework similar to the first Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP1). The USDA uses internal data to establish overall eligibility and determine various payment rates based on national averages.
- Potato Payment Rate: $225 per acre.
- Payment Cap: $250,000 per entity.
- AGI Limitation: The USDA is returning to standard payment limitations. Any entity with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) above $900,000 is ineligible for relief.
- A complete list of all eligible commodities along with their respective categories are listed on pages 5 and 6 of the final rule.
- Payments will be made on acres of eligible specialty crops planted in 2025 and reported to FSA by the April 24, 2026, deadline for filing acreage reports.
Producers who have a Login.gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application starting June 1, 2026. Producers who do not have a Login.gov account or prefer to enroll in person at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office can request their prefilled application beginning June 8, 2026. The ASCF enrollment period closes on Aug. 7, 2026.
Visit the ASCF program page for more information.
When the ASCF program was announced in February, NPC, as part of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, noted that “more help is needed” for potato and other specialty crop growers, “which is why we continue to urge Congress to provide not less than $5 billion in dedicated aid for the specialty crop sector. This support is critical to the continued sustainability of American agriculture and the communities specialty crop producers serve,” commented the SCFBA.