Adjustments to be made to Coronavirus Food Assistance Program - WIBW

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (WIBW) - New adjustments are being made to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, says an initial list of additional commodities have been added to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made other adjustments to the program based on comments received from America’s agricultural producers and organizations and reviews of market data.

Perdue says producers are now able to submit applications that include the new commodities. He says the USDA’s Farm Service Agency will be accepting applications through Aug. 28, 2020, and the new commodities help offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The USDA says it expects additional eligible commodities to be announced in the coming weeks.

“During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA have stood with our farmers, ranchers, and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” said Secretary Perdue. “When we announced this program earlier this year, we asked for public input and received a good response. After reviewing the comments received and analyzing our USDA Market News data, we are adding new commodities, as well as making updates to the program for existing eligible commodities. This is an example of government working for the people – we asked for input and we updated the program based on the comments we received.”

The USDA says it collected comments and supporting data for consideration of additional commodities through June 22. It says changes to CFAP include:

• Adding the following commodities: alfalfa sprouts, anise, arugula, basil, bean sprouts, beets, blackberries, Brussels sprouts, celeriac (celery root), chives, cilantro, coconuts, collard greens, dandelion greens, greens (others not listed separately), guava, kale greens, lettuce – including Boston, green leaf, Lolla Rossa, oak leaf green, oak leaf red and red leaf – marjoram, mint, mustard, okra, oregano, parsnips, passion fruit, peas (green), pineapple, pistachios, radicchio, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, fresh sugarcane, 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.

The USDA says additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability and Final Rule Correction sections.

Perdue says producers have a few options for applying for the CFAP program:

• Using an online portal, accessible at farmers.gov/cfap, allows producers with secure USDA login credentials—known as eAuthentication—to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center. New commodities will be available in the system on July 13, 2020.
• Completing the application form using our CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at farmers.gov/cfap. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center. An updated version with the new commodities will be available on the website on July 13, 2020.
• Downloading the AD-3114 application form from farmers.gov/cfap and manually completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to an office dropbox. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by appointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.

The USDA says its Sevice Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally signed applications through Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify local service centers when calling to discuss the CFAP application process.

For more information on how to apply for the CFAP visit Farmers.gov.

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July 19, 2020 at 02:31AM
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Adjustments to be made to Coronavirus Food Assistance Program - WIBW

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