Recently the USDA announced more eligible commodities for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program or (CFAP). In this announcement USDA has also extended the application deadline to September 11th, and announced that producers who have approved CFAP applications, will see the remaining 20 percent of their calculated payment in their accounts soon. Earlier this week, our FSA county office staff started processing the approved applications. Going forward, producers who apply for CFAP will receive 100 percent of their total payment, not to exceed the payment limit, when their applications are approved.
With all of these recent and important CFAP changes, I want to ensure that our producers know and have an opportunity to apply for this program before this deadline passes. I am asking for your assistance to help us publicize through all available communication and social media channels that your organization offers to get the word out about the CFAP program to Ohio’s farmers and those impacted by the recent changes in the CFAP program. FSA developed a Stakeholder Toolkit that includes key messages, a suggested newsletter article, and social media posts/story posts and posters and the attached toolkit offers resources like FAQs, webinar recordings. Any mention helps us spread the word, which of course ultimately helps our producers. Additional resources are available on farmers.gov/cfap, and we’re here any time to answer questions about the program.
Commodities Added to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
In addition to these newly eligible commodities, USDA also expanded funding categories for several commodities and adjusted payment rates for others. Because of CFAP program changes, I just want everyone to be aware of this. If a producer submitted a CFAP application for a previously ineligible commodity, and the application was disapproved, the producer must submit a new CFAP application. If the producer submitted an application and was paid for CFAP but also has crops that are now considered eligible or are now eligible for CARES Act funding for sales losses, the producer should NOT submit a new application, but rather, contact their FSA County office to amend the application.
Not sure if you are eligible? Do you have questions but don’t know who to ask?
A CFAP Call Center is available for producers who would like additional one-on-one support with the CFAP application process. Please call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance. Additionally, our Ohio FSA County office staff are available to answer any CFAP questions and to assist with applications.
Updated Fact Sheets:
Here’s a list of our CFAP fact sheets, including CFAP for Aquaculture Producers; CFAP for Nursery Crops and Cut Flowers; and CFAP for Liquid and Frozen Eggs.
FSA Service Center Status:
All FSA visitors wishing to conduct business should call ahead to confirm their FSA County office is able to accept in-person appointments and schedule the visit and to confirm the office’s status and make an appointment before visiting, as walk-ins are not permitted at this time.
Visitors will be pre-screened based on health concerns or recent travel and must adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Visitors may also be required to wear a face covering during their appointment.
Field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will be in the office and work with our producers in person, by phone, by email, or by using other online tools.
County-level information on FSA Service Center status will be updated regularly and you can learn the status of your FSA County office at: https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status. NOTE: Please use the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, or Safari for the best experience. The Farmers.gov website is not recommended for the Internet Explorer browser.
We’re accepting applications through September 11 and encouraging producers to apply now, as we are only three weeks away from this deadline. In Ohio, we have already approved 14,545 applications and disbursed more than $185M as of August 17, 2020. I know many farmers have applied for CFAP already, but the numbers indicate that some who are eligible have not. If you’re still unsure about CFAP and your operation, I encourage you to take five minutes today to visit farmers.gov/cfap or contact your FSA County office to learn about eligibility and options to apply. CFAP provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19.
Leonard Hubert, State Executive Director of the USDA, Ohio Farm Service Agency State Office provided the above information.