New Round of USDA Aid for Specialty Crops Good News for California Walnuts

The California Walnut Commission is cheering U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, USDA, and Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff for the announcement and implementation of payment rates and the enrollment period for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program.

In response to elevated input costs and market disruptions that impede specialty crop exports, USDA will issue $1.625 billion in payments to eligible specialty crop producers. Eligible walnut growers will be able to receive payments at a rate of $225 per acre based on their 2025 crop acreage report. This new funding from USDA’s Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers program will help walnut growers, many from multi-generational family farms, offset high production costs and ongoing market disruptions due to tariffs in key markets.

“Walnut growers are in full swing nurturing this year’s crop, which just finished the bloom and nut set start of the crop year”, says Bill Carriere, Vice Chairman of the California Walnut Commission. “This additional financial support will be utilized to lower input costs and improve our competitiveness abroad.”

For more information, visit walnuts.org.