USDA Offers More Aid to Swine Producers Through CFAP
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said USDA will provide additional assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), expanding eligibility for agricultural producers and commodities as well as updating payments to accurately compensate some producers who already applied for the program.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has left a deep impact on the farm economy, and we are utilizing the tools and monies available to ease some of the financial burdens on American producers to ensure our agricultural economy remains strong, independent and a global leader in production,” said Secretary Perdue in the release. “As part of implementing CFAP 1 and CFAP 2, we identified new areas of support and Congress recently directed us to provide additional relief. This additional assistance builds on to the $23.6 billion in assistance already provided to our farmers and ranchers impacted by the pandemic, and we will continue to implement other provisions enacted by Congress.”
Producers who are now eligible and those who need to modify existing applications due to these updates can contact USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) between Jan. 19 and Feb. 26. Some of these changes are due to the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 while others are discretionary changes being made in response to ongoing evaluation of CFAP, a USDA release noted.
Here's a look at what's new for swine producers.
Expanded Eligibility for CFAP 2
Contract producers of swine, broilers, laying hens, chicken eggs and turkeys who suffered a drop in revenue in 2020 as compared to their 2019 revenue because of the pandemic now are eligible for assistance. Producers could receive up to 80% of their revenue loss, subject to the availability of funds.
CFAP 1 ‘Top-up’ Payments for Swine
FSA is providing an additional CFAP 1 inventory payment for swine to help producers who face continuing market disruptions from changes in U.S. meat consumption due to the pandemic. Swine producers with approved CFAP 1 applications will soon automatically receive a “top-up” payment of $17 per head increasing the total CFAP1 inventory payment to $34 per head.
More Information
Newly eligible producers who need to submit a CFAP 2 application or producers who need to modify an existing one can do so between Jan. 19 and Feb. 26, by contacting their local USDA Service Center. New applicants can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877-508-8364.
According to the release, in addition to the changes being made to CFAP, per language in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, FSA will extend 2020 Marketing Assistance Loans to provide additional flexibilities for farmers. FSA will begin implementing the remaining provisions of the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
To learn more about this additional assistance, visit farmers.gov/cfap.
