SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A free webinar will be presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in New York State on the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program. MASC is aimed at helping specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs. The webinar will be Monday, December 30 at 2 pm.
This hour-long webinar is free however pre-registration is required. Everyone who registers will receive a link to a recording of the webinar afterwards. Please register here: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/6aa52ea6-707f-46d2-a12e-044e3ced9262@ed5b36e7-01ee-4ebc-867e-e03cfa0d4697
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.
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.
FSA provides programs and loans to help farmers provide food, fuel, and fiber to millions of people worldwide. The New York FSA staff work hard every day to ensure that New York farmers have the information they need to participate in federally funded agricultural programs. FSA-administered programs benefit all Americans by providing stability for our agricultural producers, thus helping ensure a safe, abundant, and affordable supply of food and fiber.
If you would need to request an accommodation, please contact Lynnette Wright at (315) 477-6309, or by e-mail at [email protected] by 12/27 to request accommodations (e.g., an interpreter, translator, etc.) or materials in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape – captioning, etc.).
—USDA FSA New York
