Yesterday USDA announced details of the Coronavirus Food Aid Program (CFAP), a relief program for farmers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Eligible livestock for the CFAP includes cattle, lambs, yearlings and hogs. Non-specialty commodities that are eligible include malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat, as well as wool. Specialty crops included in the program are, but not limited to, almonds, beans, broccoli, sweet corn, lemons, iceberg lettuce, spinach, squash, strawberries and tomatoes.
Enrollment begins at Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices on May 26, and will continue through August 28, 2020. Participants do not need to have participated in FSA administered programs in the past to enroll. Depending on the age or class of the animal, and total program participation, cattlemen can be eligible to receive between $26 and $214 per head.
More details, including payment rates, can be found on this OSU Extension Fact Sheet, at https://www.farmers.gov/cfap or are available by contacting your local FSA office. Also, see the CFAP Payment Calculator Preview from USDA embedded below. Funding for the program is made available through the recently passed CARES Act which is an effort to provide relief to farmers who have seen markets impacted by the ongoing pandemic.