USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 open for applications
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By Whitney Wyatt/The Red River Sun—
CHILDRESS – The Childress County U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) wants to remind farmers and ranchers the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) is Dec. 11.
This program provides direct relief to producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19, according to a release from the Childress County USDA/FSA. “Producers have one more month to get their applications in for this important relief program,” said Richard Fordyce, Farm Service Agency administrator. “Applying is simple, and our staff is available to assist every step of the way.”
CFAP 2 will provide up to $14 billion to eligible producers of certain row crops, livestock, dairy, specialty crops, aquaculture and more. All eligible commodities, payment rates and calculations can be found on www.farmers.gov/cfap.
CFAP 2 is a separate program from the first iteration of the program (CFAP 1) and interested producers must complete a new application to be eligible for payment for CFAP 2, the release stated. Customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP 2 application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office.
There are three application options, according to the release. Producers can use an online portal at www.farmers.gov/cfap. This 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.
The second option is completing the application form using the CFAP 2 Application Generator and Payment Calculator at www.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, signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center.
The third option is downloading the AD-3117 application form from www.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 drop box. At this time, Childress, Collingsworth and Hall Counties have phone appointments only.
The release stated USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify their local FSA office when calling to discuss the CFAP 2 application process. Learn more at www.farmers.gov/mydocs.
Producers of commodities with payments based on acreage will use acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. They have the option to complete their application by working with their local FSA office or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal.
All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from www.farmers.gov/cfap/apply. For existing FSA customers, including those who participated in CFAP 1, these documents are likely already on file, the release stated.
Both CFAP 1 and CFAP 2 are self-certification programs, which means the applicant certifies the information submitted is correct. FSA will soon begin an important step in the internal controls portion of CFAP 1 by conducting spot checks. Producers have been randomly selected using a statistically sound methodology, according to the release. These CFAP 1 applicants will be contacted by FSA staff and asked to provide supporting documentation to verify the information certified by the producer on their CFAP 1 application.
As of Nov. 9, FSA has paid more than $9.5 billion with more than 576,000 applications for CFAP 2. This builds upon more than $10.3 billion paid through CFAP 1, the release stated.
