USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Click here to find your local service center and agency offices.
USDA Grants
Grants.gov is a source to find and apply for federal grants. It is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards. Search for grants or sign up for email alerts.
Some of the important grants for blueberry growers include:
- Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income.
- USDA Rural Development Grants is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that will employ 50 or fewer new employees and have less than $1 million in gross revenue.
- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program provides grants to organizations for education, mentoring, and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers.
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
The FSA provides essential support to farmers to overcome challenges that impede agricultural production including loan programs and disaster assistance programs.
The FSA offers diverse outreach programs, including workshops, webinars, and online training modules. The agency also collaborates with other USDA agencies, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Rural Development (RD), to offer resources and support farmers.
FSA county offices serve as primary avenues for farmers and ranchers to access FSA programs. Each office is staffed by experts who collaborate with county committees to address the needs of local farmers and ranchers while adhering to USDA regulations and policies. These committees consist of local farmers who represent diverse interests in their communities and are selected via a nomination and election process.
Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program
The application period for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program is now open.
The deadline to apply for support is Jan. 8.
In November, USDA announced $2 billion in funding for MASC, which provides one-time payments to help specialty growers meet higher marketing costs related to:
- Perishability of specialty crops like fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops, and herbs.
- Specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control.
- Packaging to prevent damage.
- Moving perishables to market quickly.
- 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.
The payment limit is $125,000, and could be lowered depending on demand.
Eligible established specialty crop producers can apply for MASC benefits by completing the FSA-1140 Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program Application and submitting the form to any FSA county office by the Jan. 8 deadline. When applying, eligible specialty crop producers must certify their specialty crop sales for calendar year 2023 or 2024.
New specialty crop producers are required to certify 2025 expected sales, submit an FSA-1141 application and provide documentation to support reported sales, such as receipts, contracts, acreage reports and input receipts. New producers are defined as producers that began producing specialty crops in 2023 or 2024, but did not have sales due to the immaturity of the crop, began producing specialty crops in 2024 but did not have a complete year of sales, or will begin growing specialty crops in 2025.
Here is the fact sheet for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program.
Growers can reach out to their local FSA office for assistance here.
The full notice about the program and its terms is available here.
FSA Farm Loans
FSA offers farm loans to help farmers and ranchers get the financing they need to start, expand or maintain a family farm. Use the Farm Loan Assistance Tool to find the right loan for you. The following loan programs may be of interest to blueberry growers:
- Guaranteed Loan Program – Guaranteed loans are made and serviced by commercial lenders, such as banks, the Farm Credit System, credit unions and other non-traditional lenders. FSA guarantees the lender’s loan against loss, up to 95 percent. FSA has the responsibility of approving all eligible loan guarantees and providing oversight of the lender’s activities.
- Direct Farm Operating Loans – Direct loans are made and serviced by FSA using funds from the Federal Government. FSA has the responsibility of providing credit counseling and supervision to its direct borrowers by helping applicants evaluate the adequacy of their real estate and facilities, machinery and equipment, financial and production management, and goals.
- Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) – Provides low-interest loans to farmers to build or upgrade on-farm storage and handling facilities.
- Climate Smart Farm Loans – FSA offers loans to help producers implement climate-smart agriculture practices such as cover crops or to purchase related equipment like precision agriculture equipment for their operation.
FSA Disaster Assistance
Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) – NAP pays covered producers of covered non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters. Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for the current crop year. Click here to download the NAP fact sheet.
Tree Assistance Program (TAP) – TAP provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists to replant or rehabilitate eligible bushes damaged by natural disasters. Click here to download the TAP fact sheet.
FSA State Programs
Click here for a directory of state FSA offices. Each state maintains a website where you will find contact information and details about the state-specific FSA programs available to you.
USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA)
RMA manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) to provide innovative crop insurance products to America’s farmers and ranchers. Approved Insurance Providers (AIP) sell and service Federal crop insurance policies in every state and in Puerto Rico through a public-private partnership with RMA. RMA backs the AIPs who share the risks associated with catastrophic losses due to major weather events.
Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) – WFRP provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy. WFRP provides protection against the loss of insured revenue due to an unavoidable natural cause of loss. View the Fact Sheet here.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. A conservation planner will help you determine what program is right for you.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) – CSP helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. NRCS will help you custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals and provide technical and financial assistance to attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.
CSP offers annual payments for implementing these practices on your land and operating and maintaining existing conservation efforts. CSP also offers bundles where you can select a suite of enhancements and receive a higher payment rate.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns, such as:
- Improved water and air quality;
- Conserved ground and surface water;
- Increased soil health ;
- Reduced soil erosion and sedimentation;
- Improved or created wildlife habitat; and
- Mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.
EQIP helps producers make conservation work for them. Financial assistance for practices may be available through EQIP.
Additional Programs
USDA-NRCS Programs by State
Click here for a directory of state NRCS offices. Each state maintains a website where you will find contact information and details about the state-specific NRCS programs available to you.
Small Business Administration – Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR)
SBIR provides equity free funding through federal agencies to American small businesses.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART
WaterSMART offers grants and technical assistance programs for energy saving and water use practices.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
The SARE program is administered by USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that provides competitive grants and educational materials to farmers, ranchers, researchers, and ag professionals to advance farm and ranch systems that are profitable, environmentally sound, and good for communities.