Additional Commodities Eligible for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
In response to the massive market disruptions to commodities resulting from the COVID pandemic, USDA has enacted the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).
CFAP provides direct relief to agricultural producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19. In New York, we have already approved 3,904 applications and disbursed over $153 million as of Monday. Many farmers have applied for CFAP already, but the numbers indicate that some who are eligible have not.
We want to make sure that all New York producers who are eligible for CFAP know about the program and apply by the August 28 deadline. A wide range of commodities are eligible for CFAP. You can access the full list of eligible non-specialty, specialty, livestock, dairy, and wool commodities by visiting farmers.gov/cfap.
USDA will be hosting two webinars on the program for NY producers this week..
Wednesday, August 5th at 7pm or call: 347-690-4420; Conference ID: 498 402 089#
Thursday, August 6th at 10 am or call: 347-690-4420; Conference ID: 478 383 664#
All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors 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 they will be working with our producers in office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
Producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency office if you have questions about the program: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/New-York/index Producers may be eligible for payments through the CFAP even if they were able to subsequently sell their product.
Options to sign up for this program are limited to email, postal mail, and possibly an in-person meeting (outside the office).
USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify their local service centers when calling to discuss the CFAP application process. You can learn more about these solutions at farmers.gov/mydocs.
Changes to CFAP include:
- Adding the following commodities: alfalfa sprouts, anise, arugula, basil, bean sprouts, beets, blackberries, Brussels sprouts, celeriac (celery root), chives, cilantro, collard greens, dandelion greens, greens (others not listed separately), kale greens, lettuce – including Boston, green leaf, Lolla Rossa, oak leaf green, oak leaf red and red leaf – marjoram, mint, mustard, oregano, parsnips, peas (green), radicchio, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, Swiss chard, thyme and turnip top greens.
- Expanding for seven currently eligible commodities – apples, blueberries, garlic, potatoes, raspberries, tangerines and taro – CARES Act funding for sales losses because USDA found these commodities had a 5 percent or greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, these commodities were only eligible for marketing adjustments.
- Determining that peaches and rhubarb no longer qualify for payment under the CARES Act sales loss category.
- Correcting payment rates for apples, artichokes, asparagus, blueberries, cantaloupes, cucumbers, garlic, kiwifruit, mushrooms, papaya, peaches, potatoes, raspberries, rhubarb, tangerines and taro.
Additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Final Rule Correction and at www.farmers.gov/cfap.
Currently the other eligible commodities are:
Non-Specialty Crops and Wool
Non-specialty crops eligible for CFAP payments include malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat. 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.
Dairy
For dairy, the total payment will be calculated based on a producer’s certification of milk production for the first quarter of calendar year 2020 multiplied by a national price decline during the same quarter. The second part of the payment is based a national adjustment to each producer’s production in the first quarter.
Ag & Farmland Implementation Specialist
COVID-19 Response:
Need information? View the following Cornell CALS and CCE Resource Pages Updated Regularly
General Questions & Links:
Food Production, Processing & Safety Questions:
https://instituteforfoodsafety.cornell.edu/coronavirus-covid-19/
Employment & Agricultural Workforce Questions:
http://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/
Cornell Small Farms Resiliency Resources:
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/farm-resilience/
Financial & Mental Health Resources for Farmers:
2 Minute Spanish Language Educational Video on COVID-19:
https://www.trabajadores.cornell.edu/
123 Lake Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 w 607.547.2536 x227 w 607.547.5180 Fax
31 Maple Street, Oneonta, NY 13820 w 607.433.2521
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