There is still time for eligible producers to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The CFAP application deadline was recently extended and will be closing on Friday, September 11. There is a total of $16 billion that has been made available to provide direct support to American farmers and ranchers. Producers are encouraged to learn more about eligibility requirements and submit a CFAP application before the deadline.
“We’ve got a really great resource, its Farmers.gov/CFAP. It’s really easy to navigate, can answer questions, and it lists the commodities that are eligible. There’s actually an application generator on there,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Richard Fordyce. “The application generator actually allows them to put their numbers in there and it will generate that application and then show that payment at the bottom. So, we’ve got some tools there on that website that have been really helpful to folks.”
With the recent expansion of the program to include additional commodities, there are now more than 160 different commodities that are eligible for CFAP support. USDA has been working tirelessly to ensure that eligible producers have ample ability to apply for the program. “We also have a call center that also is a great resource to answer questions. That call center number is 877-508-8364 and its staffed by our FSA employees…They can walk a producer through the application process and answer questions, so another resource there for farmers,” Fordyce explained.
According to analysis from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, payments under the program are well below the budgeted amount. Overall payments across all eligible commodities have equaled just under 60 percent of available CFAP funding. Fordyce said that with the CFAP application deadline approaching, there is still plenty of funding support available for producers. “I think we’re pretty comfortable with our budgeted amount that we’ll be able to get to the end of the program with ample funding. So that shouldn’t be a worry,” Fordyce noted.
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