Federal payment assistance to specialty crop farmers should accurately reflect economic realities, Maine’s congressional delegation said in a letter to Brooke Rollins, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Given the absence of reliable, up-to-date cost-of-production and farm-gate pricing data for many specialty crops, it is essential that USDA work directly with Maine’s specialty crop stakeholders to establish payment rates that meaningfully address current losses,” U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Jared Golden, D-2nd District, wrote in the letter, sent last week.
“Failure to do so risks leaving critical sectors of Maine’s agricultural economy without adequate relief during a period of extraordinary financial strain.”
‘On-the-ground’ conditions
The delegation — citing blueberry, potato and apple farmers — asked that the USDA’s Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program provide “targeted, data-driven support for Maine’s specialty crop farmers, foresters and fisheries so that they can withstand the economic impacts of on-the-ground, environmental realities.”
The USDA has previously engaged with stakeholders in Maine’s potato, blueberry and apple sectors.
“However, continued consultation is not simply beneficial, it is necessary to ensure that federal assistance reflects on-the-ground conditions,” the letter said. “We urge USDA to adjust payment methodologies where needed, account for crop-specific production cycles, and expand eligibility where appropriate so that relief is both fair and economically meaningful.”
Blueberry blues
Maine produces nearly all of the nation’s wild blueberries, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the state’s economy. In 2024, Maine produced 85 million pounds of wild blueberries. But in 2025, an exceptionally wet spring disrupted pollination. That was followed by drought conditions, altogether reducing production to roughly 54 million pounds — an estimated $28 million loss in revenue.
“These losses compound years of declining markets and rising labor and input costs,” the letter said.
The delegation asked the USDA to adjust the assistance program’s methodology to account for the crop’s production cycle.
Potato pressures
Maine’s potato industry, the largest agricultural sector in the state, with an estimated $1.3 billion economic impact, faces similarly acute pressures, said the delegation, citing tariffs, trade uncertainty, elevated input costs, labor shortages and drought-related yield reductions that are expected to result in approximately $30 million in lost revenue this year.
“Maine growers operate in an integrated cross-border market with Canada, our state’s largest trading partner,” the delegation wrote. “Growers rely heavily on Canadian suppliers for equipment, fertilizer and other inputs, while also shipping a significant share of their crop across the border for processing.”
Potato exports have declined an estimated 10%, the letter said.
“This is a major decrease in income for those growers and unfortunately for some, there is no other avenue for them to sell their potatoes,” the letter said. “Without targeted federal support that reflects these unique cross-border dynamics, Maine’s potato growers will continue to absorb disproportionate losses.”
In Maine’s apple industry, the 2025 harvest declined to approximately 600,000 bushels, below the typical 800,000 to 1 million bushels annually produced, resulting in an estimated $10 million loss for growers, the letter said.
“Even where crop quality held steady, reduced volume combined with rising labor, transportation and other input costs have significantly compressed margins,” the delegation wrote.
Maine’s forest products and commercial fishing industries have also experienced “significant market disruption tied to trade volatility and retaliatory tariffs,” the letter said.
