The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced $1 billion in one-time “bridge” aid for U.S. specialty crop producers, including coffee.
Called the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF), the program will require specialty crop producers to ensure planted acreage reports are “factual and accurate” by March 13, 2026.
The USDA is describing the program — which will involve one-time payments based on planted acreage and crop-specific rates — as providing near-term relief for specialty-crop growers dealing with higher input costs and “unfair market disruptions,” among other challenges. The agency has not yet issued commodity-specific rates for the payments.
A politically charged statement from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins emphatically praised U.S. President Donald Trump while saying that “specialty crop producers continue to feel the negative effects of four years under the Biden Administration.” The agency did not provide data or evidence to support the claim.
The agency did say the ASCF program is designed to provide assistance for more than 100 types of specialty crops and sugar, which were not covered through the previously announced $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which spanned staple crops such as barley, corn, cotton, soybeans, rice and wheat.
For Hawaii, the largest coffee producer in the U.S., followed by Puerto Rico and California, the relief program comes against an estimated downturn in overall coffee production for the 2025-26 season, at approximately 17.8 million pounds of “utilized” coffee cherry. That’s down by about 20% from the previous season, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
For the new ASCF bridge payments, the USDA is directing producers to ensure their 2025 acreage report is up to date with their local FSA office.
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