May 28, 2020
By:
Donny Green, County Executive Director for the DeKalb-Cannon County Farm Service Agency announces that the signup for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) began May 26 and will continue until August 28, 2020. CFAP will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“America’s farming community is facing an unprecedented situation as our nation tackles the coronavirus. President Trump has authorized USDA to ensure our patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers are supported and we are moving quickly to open applications to get payments out the door and into the pockets of farmers,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. “These payments will help keep farmers afloat while market demand returns as our nation reopens and recovers. America’s farmers are resilient and will get through this challenge just like they always do with faith, hard work, and determination.”
Non-Specialty Crops and Wool
Non-specialty crops eligible for CFAP payments include corn and soybeans. Wool is also eligible. Producers will be paid based on inventory subject to price risk held as of January 15, 2020. A payment will be made based 50 percent of a producer’s 2019 total production or the 2019 inventory as of January 15, 2020, whichever is smaller, multiplied by the commodity’s applicable payment rates.
Livestock
Livestock eligible for CFAP include cattle, lambs, yearlings and hogs. The total payment 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.
Specialty Crops
For eligible specialty crops, the total payment will be based on the volume of production sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020; the volume of production shipped, but unpaid; and the number of acres for which harvested production did not leave the farm or mature product destroyed or not harvested during that same time period, and which have not and will not be sold. Specialty crops include, but are not limited to, beans, broccoli, sweet corn, squash, strawberries and tomatoes. A full list of eligible crops can be found on farmers.gov/cfap. Additional crops may be deemed eligible later.
Applying for Assistance
Producers of all eligible commodities will apply through their local FSA office. This program is a self-certification program, but approved applicants may be spot-checked and required to provide documentation to support the producer’s application and certification. Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020.
Payment Structure
To ensure the availability of funding throughout the application period, 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 later as funds remain available. If funds are not sufficient to cover the 20 percent remaining amount needed for approved applications, a prorated payment factor will be applied to all applications. In other words, there is no funding advantage to being the first or last applicant as long as the application is received by the August 28, 2020 deadline.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone, email, and postal mail, and using online tools whenever possible. Persons wishing to conduct business with the FSA are required to call the DeKalb-Cannon County Farm Service Agency at 615-597-8225, Ext. 3 to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.