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Agricultural News: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

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   Have you heard about USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) yet? We’ve received quite a few calls regarding CFAP, so I wanted to share how this program can be of benefit to Wayne County producers.

   If you produce agricultural commodities and have suffered a 5% or greater price decline or have had losses due to market supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19, then the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program can help provide financial assistance. 

   Eligible commodities include:

•Non-specialty Crops: malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat

•Wool

•Livestock: cattle, hogs, and sheep (lambs and yearlings only)

•Dairy

•Specialty Crops:  Certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and mushrooms. (visit farmers.gov/cfap for a complete list)

   Most of the calls we’ve received have been concerning Livestock and non-specialty crops, so let’s look at those a bit more closely.

•Livestock: Per USDA’s website, “a single payment for livestock will be calculated using the sum of the producer’s number of livestock sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020, multiplied by the payment rates per head, and the highest inventory number of livestock between April 16 and May 14, 2020, multiplied by the payment rate per head.” The rates per head vary depending on type and class of eligible livestock. Producers will have to provide the following: Total owned, unpriced inventory as of January 15, 2020, that was sold between January 15th and April 15th. These sales must be separated by species and class, and can include any offspring from inventory that was sold AND the highest inventory of owned eligible livestock, by species and class, on a date selected by the producer between April 16 and May 14, 2020. Visit farmers.gov/cfap/livestock for payment rates and eligibility.  

•Non-Specialty Crops: For those who produced an eligible Non-Specialty crop “will be paid based on inventory subject to price risk held as of January 15, 2020. A single payment will be made based on 50 percent of a producer’s 2019 total production or the 2019 inventory as of January 15, 2020, whichever is smaller, multiplied by 50 percent and then multiplied by the commodity’s applicable payment rates” (USDA). Producer will have to provide the following information for CFAP: Total 2019 production for the commodity that suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline, AND total 2019 production that was not sold as of January 15, 2020. Visit farmers.gov/cfap/non-specialty for more information.

   The USDA is accepting applications now through August 28, 2020. Producers should call the Farm Service Agency in Lawrenceburg for an appointment OR apply online at farmers.gov/cfap.  The number for Lawrenceburg’s Farm Service Agency is (931) 762-6913 ext. 2. 

   For more information regarding CFAP eligibility, visit their website at farmers.gov/cfap.  Producers are welcome to call our office at 931-722-3229 with questions regarding CFAP, or you can call the local Farm Service Agency in Lawrenceburg at 931-762-6913 ext 2.

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