Specialty Crops
Producers Can Now Apply for Financial Assistance Through USDA’s
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
WASHINGTON, May 26,
2020-–Specialty crops producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to offset
impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application and a payment
calculator are now available online and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)
staff members are available via phone, fax and online tools to help
producers complete applications. The agency set up a call center in order
to simplify how they serve new customers across the nation. Applications
will be accepted through August 28, 2020.
Through CFAP, USDA is making
available $16 billion for vital financial assistance to producers of
agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater
price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing
costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to
shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
We also want to remind
producers that the program is structured to ensure the availability of
funding for all eligible producers who apply. In order to do this,
producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon
approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to
exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as
funds remain available.
Producers can download the
CFAP application and other eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap.
Also, on that webpage, producers can find a payment calculator to help
identify sales and inventory records needed to apply and calculate
potential payments.
Additionally, producers in
search of one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call
877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer
assistance. This is a good first step before a producer engages the team
at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.
Applying for Assistance
Producers of all eligible commodities
will apply through their local FSA office. Those who use the online
calculator tool will be able to print off a pre-filled CFAP application
to sign and submit to your local FSA office either electronically or via
hand delivery. Please contact your local office to determine the
preferred method. Producers can find contact information for their FSA
county office by visiting farmers.gov/CFAP and using the Find Your Local
Service Center tool at the bottom of the page.
Documentation to support the
producer’s application and certification may be requested after the
application is filed. FSA has streamlined the signup process to not
require an acreage report at the time of application and a USDA farm
number may not be immediately needed.
Additional Commodities
USDA is also establishing a
process for the public to identify additional commodities for potential
inclusion in CFAP. Specifically, USDA is looking for data on
agricultural commodities, that are not currently eligible for CFAP, that
the public believes to have either:
suffered a five
percent-or-greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April
as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,
shipped but subsequently
spoiled due to loss of marketing channel, or
not left the farm or
remained unharvested as mature crops.
More information about this
process is available on farmers.gov/cfap.
More Information
To find the latest
information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap
or call 877-508-8364.
USDA Service Centers are open
for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with
appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue
to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and
using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing
to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service,
or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service
Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
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