Just a few weeks ago President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the $19 billion dollar Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Everybody has been wondering when the $16 billion in direct aid payments were coming to farmers. Yesterday the United States Department of Agriculture?s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) held a webinar explaining what farmers will need to do.
The application period for CFAP benefits is going to open soon. The first payments should roll out at the beginning of June. FSA Deputy Administrator Bill Beam talks about the information that farmers are going to need to provide.
The aid is based on actual producer price and market supply-chain losses. Added adjustment and marketing help will also be available. American Farm Bureau Federation Executive Director Dale Moore says agriculture will have to adjust to a new structure and new normal.
Moore says we can expect big changes from the food supply chain. This will affect packers, grocers, and more. However, Moore says the determination of American farmers will not change.
Moore says he is confident farmers will continue to find a way forward.
