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Courtesy of the NAA:

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Services Agency (FSA), hosted a brief webinar today describing the basics of applying for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) direct farmer or rancher economic assistance authorized by the CARES Act.

USDA will soon begin taking applications. Once the application period opens, please call the Farm Service Agency county office at your local USDA Service Center to schedule an appointment. Find your office and more information at farmers.gov/CFAP.

The FSA staff is available to help. While FSA offices are open by phone appointment only, staff will work with you via phone, email, fax, mail, or online tools to receive your application. Your local FSA staff will work with you to apply for the program, and various forms will ask for this type of information:

• Contact
• Personal, including your Tax Identification Number
• Farming operating structure
• Adjusted Gross Income to ensure eligibility
• Direct deposit to enable payment processing

If you are an existing customer, this information is likely on file at your local Service Center.

Do not send any personal or farm information without first initiating contact through a phone call to an FSA office.

FSA has streamlined the application process to not require an acreage report at the time of application and a USDA farm number may not be immediately needed.

What can you do now? While the application process has not started, you can start gathering/understanding your farm’s recent sales and inventory.

Once signup begins and USDA begins accepting applications, more program information and forms will be available at farmers.gov/CFAP.

New to working with FSA? FSA has county offices located at USDA Service Centers across the country. You can find your office and more information on CFAP at farmers.gov/CFAP.