Overview

The Market Facilitation Program (MFP) provides 

direct payments to help producers who have been 

directly impacted by illegal retaliatory tariffs, resulting 

in the loss of traditional exports. The MFP is 

established under the statutory authority of the 

Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and 

is under the administration of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). The 

Charter Act authorizes CCC to assist in the expansion 

of domestic markets or development of new and 

additional markets and uses.

Producers may apply for MFP through Dec. 6, 2019.

Payments

MFP payments are available to eligible producers of 

specified commodities for 2019 that include certain 

non-specialty crops, specialty crops, dairy, and 

livestock. 

MFP payments will be made in up to three tranches (or 

portions), with the second and third tranches evaluated 

as market conditions and trade opportunities dictate. If 

conditions warrant, the second tranche will be made in 

November, and the third in January.

The first payment will be comprised of the higher of 

either 50 percent of a producer’s calculated payment or 

$15 per acre. The first payments were issued starting 

in late August.

Producers requesting an MFP payment must have a 

crop acreage report on file with FSA for MFP crop 

commodities.

Non-Specialty Crops

Non-specialty crop payments are based on a single 

county payment rate multiplied by a farm’s total 

plantings of MFP-eligible crops in aggregate in 2019. 

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Market Facilitation Program

Farm Service Agency

FACT SHEET

September 2019

A producer’s total payment-eligible plantings are 

based on the lesser of total 2019 plantings or 2018 

plantings and prevented plantings. County payment 

rates range from $15 to $150 per acre, depending on 

the impact of unjustified trade retaliation in that 

county. Visit farmers.gov/MFP for a list of payment 

rates by county.

The following non-specialty crops are eligible for MFP 

assistance: alfalfa hay, barley, canola, corn, crambe, 

dried beans, dry peas, extra-long staple cotton, 

flaxseed, lentils, long grain and medium grain rice, 

millet, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, rapeseed, rye, 

safflower, sesame seed, small and large chickpeas, 

sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, temperate 

japonica rice, triticale, upland cotton, and wheat. 

Acreage of non-specialty crops and cover crops must 

have been planted by Aug. 1, 2019, to be considered 

eligible for MFP payments.

Specialty Crops

MFP payments will also be made to producers of 

almonds, cranberries, cultivated ginseng, fresh grapes, 

fresh sweet cherries, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, 

pecans, pistachios, and walnuts. Each specialty crop 

will receive a payment based on 2019 acres of fruit or 

nut bearing plants, or in the case of ginseng, based on 

reported acres in 2019.
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MARKET FACILITATION PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER 2019

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

The initial MFP rates for specialty crops are as 

follows:

• Nuts $146 per acre

• Cranberries $0.03 per pound at 21,371 pounds

 per acre

• Ginseng $2.85 per pound at 2,000 pounds per acre

• Sweet cherries (fresh) $0.17 per pound at 9,148

 pounds per acre 

• Table grapes $0.03 per pound at 20,820 pounds

 per acre

Dairy and Hog Production

Dairy producers who were in business as of June 1, 

2019, will receive a per hundredweight payment on 

production history, and hog producers will receive a 

payment based on the number of live hogs owned on a 

day selected by the producer between April 1 and May 

15, 2019. 

The initial MFP rates for dairy and hogs are as follows:

• Dairy (milk) $0.20 per hundredweight

• Hogs $11 per head

Cover Crops

Producers affected by natural disasters who filed 

prevented planting claims then planted an 

MFP-eligible cover crop, with the potential to be 

harvested or for subsequent use as forage, may qualify 

for a $15 per acre payment. Acreage of cover crops 

must have been planted by Aug. 1, 2019, to be 

considered eligible for MFP payments.

Payment Limitations

MFP payments are capped per person or legal entity as 

follows:

• A combined $250,000 for non-specialty crops

• A combined $250,000 for dairy production and hogs

• A combined $250,00 for specialty crop producers 

No person or legal entity can receive more than 

$500,000 overall in any combination of MFP 

payments made for any and all of the above categories. 

MFP payments do not count against other program 

payment limitations.

Eligibility

To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity 

must either:

• have an average adjusted gross income for tax years

 2015, 2016, and 2017 of less than $900,000; or

• derive at least 75 percent of their adjusted gross

 income from farming or ranching.

Persons and legal entities also must:

• comply with the provisions of the “Highly Erodible

 Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations, often

 called the conservation compliance provisions

• be actively engaged in farming for non-specialty

 crop commodities, except for alfalfa hay, triticale,

 special crop commodities, and livestock

 commodities

• not have a controlled substance violation

Where to File the Application

MFP applications are available online at 

farmers.gov/MFP. Applications can be completed at a 

local FSA office or submitted electronically either by 

scanning, emailing, or faxing.

More Information

For more information about the MFP program, visit 

farmers.gov/MFP or contact your local FSA office. 

To find your local FSA office, visit 

farmers.gov/service-locator.