Warnick urges farmers to access recently expanded Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP)

July 27, 2020

Ranking member on the state Senate’s agriculture-related committee, Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, welcomed news from federal partners that more commodities are eligible for aid for Washington’s farmers and ranchers impacted by coronavirus restrictions. The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) began in April for a limited number of hardest-hit products, but US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue added additional commodities earlier this month, with more expected to join the list soon.

The program is designed to provide relief to farmers and ranchers under the CARES Act for commodities that had a 5% or greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the pandemic.

“Washington’s regulatory and business climate already make it a challenge to be an ag-producer,” said Warnick. “I’m pleased that this program is expanding, and our farmers and ranchers can get some relief from the impacts of this coronavirus shutdown. I’m urging those affected to look and see if they are eligible and get the help they deserve.”

There are several options for applying for the CFAP program: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/apply

  • Using an online portal, accessible at farmers.gov/cfap, allows producers with secure USDA login credentials—known as eAuthentication—to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center. New commodities are available in the system as of July 13, 2020.

 

  • Completing the application form using our CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at farmers.gov/cfap. 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. An updated version with the new commodities is available on the website.

 

  • Downloading the AD-3114 application form from farmers.gov/cfap and manually completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to an office drop box. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by appointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.

New customers wanting one-on-one support with the application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly to a USDA employee. The department recommends this as a first step before engaging with the FSA county office at the USDA Service Center.

Producers need to establish eligibility utilizing adjusted gross income and payment information by utilizing the forms on farmers.gov/cfap.