Pre-filled Applications Available Online to Producers with a Login.gov Account
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced payment rates and the enrollment period for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program. USDA will issue $1.625 billion in payments to eligible specialty crop producers in response to elevated input costs and market disruptions resulting from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impeded specialty crop exports.
Producers who have a Login.gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application starting today, June 1, 2026. Producers who do not have a Login.gov account or prefer to enroll in person at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office can request their prefilled application beginning June 8, 2026. The ASCF enrollment period closes on Aug. 7, 2026.
These payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Specialty crop payments are intended to provide financial support to allow producers to pay for production and marketing inputs in the face of significant market disruptions during the 2025 growing season.
How to Apply
Pre-filled applications will be available online to producers with a Login.gov account who timely filed their 2025 crop acreage report for eligible specialty crops. Starting on June 1, 2026, producers who have a Login.gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application from fsa.usda.gov/ascf. Beginning June 8, 2026, producers can request their pre-filled ASCF application from their FSA county office.
The deadline to submit completed ASCF applications is Aug. 7, 2026. Producers can complete their applications online or submit them to their FSA county office.
Payments will be issued as applications are submitted and approved, beginning as early as the first week of signup.
Login.gov
Login.gov is the public’s one account for government. Producers can use one account and password for secure, private access to participating government agencies, including FSA.
To apply for ASCF online, producers can start by visiting fsa.usda.gov/ascf to create their Login.gov account. Producers who have an existing Login.gov account can work with FSA using their existing account.
With a secure Login.gov account, producers can be amongst the first to apply for ASCF, allowing them to view, complete, certify, and submit their application as well as track their application and payment status.
For assistance creating a Login.gov account, visit login.gov/help.
Eligibility
Specialty crop acres of eligible crops reported to FSA as an initial, double crop, repeat crop, or subsequent crop by April 24, 2026, will be used to determine ASCF program payments. Acreage that is reported as a cover crop, prevented planted, or with an intended use of grazing, left standing, green manure, silage, forage, volunteer, or experimental will not be used to determine ASCF program payments.
For a list of eligible specialty crops visit fsa.usda.gov/ascf. Specialty crops grown in a controlled environment are not eligible, except for mushrooms.
Crop insurance linkage is not required; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to best protect against future price risk and volatility.
Payment Calculations and more information on ASCF are available online at fsa.usda.gov/ascf. Producers can also contact their local FSA county office.