Guest Editorial Week of 8/03/20

Was your farm operation impacted by the pandemic?
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Farmers and producers feed our state, our nation, and in fact, our world. They work long hours to provide essential resources for us all, and in these challenging times, I want you to know that the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is here to support you and your operation through our Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP. Whether you farm one acre or many more, grow food for local markets or big supply chains, CFAP can help. We’re accepting applications through August 28 and encouraging producers to apply now.
In Ohio, we have already approved 12,000 applications and disbursed more than $133M as of July 27, 2020. I know many farmers have applied for CFAP already, but the numbers indicate that some who are eligible have not. If you’re still unsure about CFAP and your operation, I encourage you to take five minutes today to visit farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364 to learn about eligibility and options to apply. Whether you’ve worked with FSA for years or this will be a first, we’re here to help you every step of the way.
CFAP provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19. You can access the full list of eligible non-specialty, specialty, livestock, dairy, and wool commodities by visiting farmers.gov/cfap.
We know you’re busy, so we’ve outlined options to apply at the top of farmers.gov/cfap. We offer a CFAP Application Portal where those of you with eAuthentication accounts can submit your application online. Don’t have an eAuthentication account? You can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in. We also offer a manual application option, and a CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator that allows you to input information specific to your operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form.
You can apply now for the commodities that are currently eligible, and if any other commodities you produce are added to the program, we will amend your application.
If you have questions, please let us know. You can call our CFAP Call Center for one-on-one support with the CFAP application process. Call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with an FSA employee ready to offer personalized assistance. And, as always, the FSA office at your local USDA Service Center is also there to help you prepare your application.
Farmers and producers continue to be the backbone of our nation. I know Ohio’s agricultural producers are facing unprecedented challenges with the coronavirus pandemic, and I want to make sure we at USDA FSA are doing all we can to provide critical support. We thank our farmers and growers and we encourage you to apply for CFAP today.