JONESBORO, Ark. — Farmers have more time to apply for aid under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program after the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the deadline to Sept. 11.
The original program application deadline was Aug. 28.
Scott Stiles, extension economist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that through Aug. 17, Arkansas farmers had received nearly $127 million in payments through CFAP from more than 16,400 applications.
“Payments totaled $90.8 million to livestock producers, $31.6 million to producers of non-specialty crops such as corn, soybeans, cotton and sorghum; $3.2 million to producers of specialty crops and roughly $1 million to dairy producers,” Stiles said.
Total payments jumped $27 million last week and are likely to show another sharp increase this week as USDA’s Farm Service Agency begins second-installment payments.
“Producers with approved applications initially received 80 percent of their payments,” Stiles said. “Beginning August 17, the FSA was issuing the remaining 20 percent of the calculated payment to eligible producers.”
Producers who received initial payments need not apply for the second installment.
Stiles said that “going forward, producers who apply for CFAP will receive 100 percent of their total payment — provided it does not exceed the $250,000-per-person payment limit — when their applications are approved.”
Where to apply
Producers, especially those who have not worked with FSA previously, are recommended to call (877) 508-8364 to begin the application process. An FSA staff member can help producers start their application during the phone call.
Producers can also find information and applications at the program website: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap. There, producers may:
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on August 11 that the deadline to apply for CFAP has been extended to September 11. The original application deadline was August 28, 2020. USDA's Farm Service Agency offers multiple ways for you to apply for CFAP to meet your business needs.
• Download the AD-3114 application form and manually complete the form to submit to their local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to their local office or office drop box.
• Complete the application using the CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator. 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, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center.
• If producers have login credentials known as eAuthentication, they can use the online CFAP Application Portal to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center.
All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can also be downloaded at the CFAP website. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file.
To learn about extension and research programs in Arkansas, visit www.division.uaex.edu, Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk, @uaex_edu or @ArkAgResearch.