Non-Specialty Crops and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Non-Specialty Crops and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Are you a non-specialty crop producer whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance program on April 17, 2020. Beginning May 26, USDA’s Farm Service Agency will be accepting applications from agricultural producers who have suffered losses. Learn more at farmers.gov/cfap.

Eligible Non-Specialty Commodities

CFAP payments are available for eligible producers of non-specialty crops who have suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline from mid-January to mid-April 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and who face increased marketing costs for inventories.

Non-specialty crops eligible for CFAP payments include malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat.

Crops intended for grazing are not eligible.

CFAP Payments for Non-Specialty Crops

Producers will be paid based on inventory subject to price risk held as of January 15, 2020. A single payment will be made based on 50 percent of a producer’s 2019 total production or the 2019 inventory as of January 15, 2020, whichever is smaller, multiplied by the commodity’s applicable payment rates.

Producers must provide the following information for CFAP:

• Total 2019 production for the commodity that suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline, and
• Total 2019 production that was not sold as of January 15, 2020.

The following table lists eligible non-specialty commodities and payment rates for CFAP.

Additional CFAP Information

Farm Service Agency staff at local USDA Service Centers will work with producers to file applications. USDA will begin accepting applications on May 26, 2020.

USDA is also establishing a process for the public to identify additional commodities for potential inclusion in the program. Visit farmers.gov/cfap for additional information on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, other eligible commodities, CFAP eligibility, payment limitations and structure, and how to apply.