Farm groups rally for specialty crop relief in 2026

Among the many key policy priorities for farm advocacy groups in 2026 is securing additional economic relief for specialty crop growers.

With specialty crop producers largely left out of a $12 billion grower aid package announced in December, National Potato Council (NPC) CEO Kam Quarles recently told Spudman managing editor Melinda Waldrop “the push is on to ensure that relief is part of any legislation” that keeps the federal government open past Jan. 30 — the funding deadline set in negotiations that reopened the government this past November. 

“This is a very urgent matter,” Quarles told Spudman on Jan. 12. “It is highly likely that whatever bill resolves that Jan. 30 issue is going to carry this economic relief plan, so if you’re not on that train, you’re in a tough position.”

“This is happening right now,” he added. “It is the top, most urgent issue that we’re dealing with. It’s very likely that specialty crops alone are going to need about $5 billion in order to deal with their segment of this economic crisis we’re in.”

How can the government deliver more grower relief funds?

The good news, Quarles said, is that a blueprint for how to help specialty crop growers already exists in the form of the USDA’s Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program. Last summer, a second round of MASC payments totaling $1.3 billion was released to specialty crop growers, bringing total assistance to help offset rising input costs and aid in the expansion of domestic markets to $2.65 million. 

“We know what mechanism works to get relief to growers, and it’s that one — the MASC program,” Quarles said. “There’s a lot of rallying around a larger round of MASC, given the economic challenges that everyone is facing. From that perspective, it’s rinse and repeat. We know what works. Don’t reinvent the wheel. We want another round of MASC payments — bigger.”

Quarles also currently serves as the co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA). SCFBA is a national coalition of more than 150 organizations representing growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products. According to the alliance, specialty crops account for $64.7 billion in farm gate value and 30% of farm cash receipts for crops in the U.S., with potatoes alone totaling $10 billion in farm gate value.

The climate on Capitol Hill is favorable for relief, Quarles said.

“Congress is very receptive to working with us on that,” he said. “We have very strong leaders in both the House and Senate agricultural committees as well as House and Senate appropriations committees. They’re all going to have to collaborate to get that to the finish line.”