Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program Update

The $1 billion Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program (ASCF) was established in February 2026 as part of the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA) to provide assistance to growers impacted by market disruptions, inflation, increased production costs, and losses from foreign market competition during the 2025 growing season.  Payments under this program are based on 2025 crop acreage, rather than farm income.

The original application period for this program, which required a report on eligible acres, closed on March 13, 2026, but the application period was reopened on March 31 -  April 24, 2026.

On June 1, 2026, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced payment rates and the enrollment period for the ASCF program.  Only those growers who had filed their 2025 acreage reports by April 24 are eligible to apply for payments under this program, which has now been increased to $1.625 billion.

The payment limit for ASCF is $250,000 per grower.  Growers with an average adjusted gross income (AGI) over $900,000 is not eligible to receive these payments. 

USDA has established payment tiers based on national average revenue per crop.  Grapes are included in Tier 2 (average annual revenue more than $2300 per acre but less than $10,000 per acre.  The payment rate for tier 2 is $225 per acre.

Beginning on June 1, 2026, eligible growers with a Login-gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application from fsa.usda.gov/ascf.  Beginning on June 8, 2026, eligible growers can request their pre-filled application form their FSA county office.  The deadline to submit completed ASCF applications is August 7, 2026.

Additional information on ASCF assistance can be found at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/assistance-specialty-crop-farmers-ascf-program or from your local Farm Service Agency office.

Winegrowers will continue to keep its members advised of any developments regarding aid for specialty crops growers.