WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Tuesday the creation of new programs that will help farmers who grow fruits, vegetables and nuts overcome market barriers for their products, and help producers access necessary pre-market storage for their crops following severe weather events, including recent hurricanes.
He was nominated by President Joe Biden to return to a role where he served for eight years under President Barack Obama. USDA photo by Tom Witham
The new Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops initiative will provide $2 billion to assist specialty crop growers in maintaining a strong domestic supply and expanding market opportunities for their crops.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also creating the Commodity Storage Assistance Program, which will provide $140 million to help producers gain access to a packinghouse, grain elevator or other facility necessary for the marketing of agricultural commodities. This program is designed for farmers nationwide due to disaster-related challenges, and USDA anticipates high signup rates in the Southeast due to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Debbie, Helene and Milton.
Vilsack Quote
“From providing high-quality, nutritious, American-grown fruits, vegetables and nuts to our nation and the world, to serving as economic pillars of their communities, specialty crop producers play a critical role in the success of U.S. agriculture,” said Vilsack. “The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops and Commodity Storage Assistance programs will be important for producers in every corner of the United States, but they come at an especially critical time for southeastern farmers, who will face a difficult and long recovery after this season’s devastating hurricanes.”
These programs would complement the disaster assistance package the Biden-Harris Administration has proposed to Congress, which included a request for resources for USDA’s Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP), in addition to nutrition assistance, and rural infrastructure support. The ERP and ELRP provide support for disaster losses for row crop, specialty crop and livestock producers.
Final details, including eligibility and payment rates will be set forth in a Notice of Funding Availability for each program.
Marketing Assistance Program for Specialty Crops
The Marketing Assistance Program for Specialty Crops will expand markets by helping specialty farmers who typically have higher marketing costs related to the tenderness and perishability of fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops and herbs; specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control; packaging; moving perishables to market quickly; and higher labor costs. USDA anticipates applications will open in December.
Commodity Storage Assistance Program
USDA is creating the Commodity Storage Assistance Program to make available commercial storage facilities such as grain elevators and packinghouses necessary for the orderly marketing of commodities by producers experiencing reduced commercial storage access due to 2024 natural disasters. This program builds on the Emergency Grain Storage Assistance Program which helped producers respond to lost grain storage options after a series of tornadoes, derechos, and flooding in 2021 and 2022.
USDA is making $140 million in Commodity Credit Corporation funds available for this program for a wide range of commodities. Producers will have to show that natural disasters caused a loss in commercial storage or marketing. Applications are expected to be available in December 2024.