Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The COVID-19 pandemic struck every industry with a fervor, and farmers and ranchers have not been left untouched by the financial devastation that a pandemic like this can wreak.
With that in mind – and with the knowledge that America's farmers and ranchers are a crucial part of a stable economy – the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering a Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to farmers and ranchers around the nation.
This program will allow farmers and ranchers to receive direct payments that will offset or weaken the impact that COVID-19 has had on the farming industry and farm families. A total of $19 billion in funds was made available for this vital financial assistance, and local farmers or ranchers are invited to apply for this funding, which will provide 80 percent of the agricultural producer's maximum total payment.
In order to qualify for this funding, farmers and ranchers must have suffered at least a five percent decline in income between mid-January and mid-April and that decline must be the direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic; they must also have not left their farm or left the mature crop unharvested in the field.
Commodity eligibility for the CFAP funding are: non-specialty crops, wool, livestock, dairy and specialty crops.
Commodities that are not eligible for CFAP funding are: sheep more than two-years-old, eggs and layers, soft red winter wheat, hard red winter wheat, white wheat, rice, flax, rye, peanuts, feed barley, Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton, alfalfa, forage crops, hemp and tobacco.
If you and your farm need to apply for CFAP funding, but need more information, you can visit the CFAP application site at farmers.gov/cfap. This website has the application process as well as eligibility forms. Farmers and ranchers will be able to find payment calculators that will help them apply and calculate potential payments.
Further information can be obtained by contacting the Jefferson County Farm Service Agency in Monticello, by calling (850) 997-2072. Appointments for in-person visits can also be made by calling ahead.