View this Center for Agricultural Profitability webinar, which goes into the details of the CFAP program.

Congress and the President have approved multiple phases of COVID-19 assistance to date including the $2.3 trillion CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act passed in March that provides financial support for agricultural producers as a small part of the overall relief.

While agricultural producers and agribusinesses are eligible for two programs administered through the Small Business Administration, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), the primary support for agriculture is coming from USDA through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The CARES Act provided $9.5 billion directly to the Secretary of Agriculture and provided $14 billion in funding to replenish Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) accounts. The Secretary has used the $9.5 billion of CARES Act funding and $6.5 billion to date of CCC funding to implement CFAP.

The CFAP program rolled out with rules and sign-up through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in late May. The program provides direct payments to producers of a range of crops and livestock based on market losses from January to April and continuing disruptions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the CFAP program utilizes both the CARES Act funding and CCC funding, the program includes multiple payment rates in the calculation of total support for a producer.

Read the full Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for Crop Producers article to learn more about:

• support for specialty and non-specialty crop producers
• signing up for assistance
• eligibility
• payment limits
• example calculations and methodology

Read the full article on farm.unl.edu