Specialty crop growers in the United States are under financial pressure in 2025 as production costs continue to rise faster than farm-gate prices. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries together account for more than one-third of total U.S. crop sales, yet growers in these sectors have more limited access to safety-net and risk-management tools than other agricultural producers.
Studies covering major specialty crops show that expenses related to labor, fertiliser, fuel, water, packaging, and regulatory compliance have increased across crops such as almonds, apples, blueberries, lettuce, potatoes, and strawberries. At the same time, farm-gate prices for many of these products have remained weak. As a result, a growing share of producers are unable to recover full production costs. These six crops alone represent close to one-quarter of all specialty crop receipts and account for large aggregate losses at the sector level.
Trade conditions have added further pressure. Export uncertainty, exchange rate movements, and competition from foreign suppliers have reduced demand for some U.S. specialty crops. Imports produced under different labor and regulatory frameworks have also weighed on domestic pricing. In parallel, weather variability, disease incidence, and pest pressure have increased production risks and cost exposure for growers.
Federal support measures have provided limited relief to the specialty crop sector. Specialty crops are not eligible for the US$11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. While the United States Department of Agriculture has announced an additional US$1 billion in support for other agricultural sectors, this amount is well below the estimated economic losses faced by specialty crop growers, and eligibility criteria have not yet been fully detailed.
Across individual crops, available data show that production costs now exceed revenues for many operations. Almond growers face high orchard management, irrigation, and labor expenses. Apple producers are dealing with rising storage and replanting costs. Lettuce growers report higher compliance costs related to food safety requirements. Strawberry producers face elevated labor and packaging expenses. Blueberry and potato growers show similar patterns, with market prices remaining below break-even levels.
Without expanded access to support programmes, many specialty crop growers may continue to scale back investment, planted area, and labor use. Sector participants point to the need for improved risk-management instruments, better cost transparency, and broader inclusion of specialty crops in federal assistance frameworks to support ongoing production in the United States.
Source: Farms.com
