USDA Livestock and Crop Disaster Program Sign up Deadline September 11, 2020

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) provides direct relief to producers who face price declines and additional marketing cost due to COVID-19, according to James L. Griffin, County Executive Director of Jefferson/Sevier/Cocke Farms Service Agency.

Currently our office is closed to visitors due to COVID-19 pandemic. Producers/visitors can obtain a CFAP application by calling our office at (865) 397-3151 or email James.Giffin@usda.gov.

Livestock eligible for CFAP include cattle, sheep and hogs. The total payment will be calculated using the sum of the producer’s number of livestock sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020, multiplied by the payment rates per head, and the highest inventory number of livestock between April 16 and may 14, 2020, multiplied by the payment rate per head.

Non-specialty crops eligible for CFAP payments include malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat and hard red spring wheat. Wool is also eligible. Producers will be paid based on inventory subject to price risk held as of January 15, 2020. A payment will be made based on 50 percent of producer’s 2019 total production or the 2019 inventory as of January 15, 2020, whichever is smaller, multiplied by the commodity’s applicable payment rates.

For eligible specialty crops, the total payment will be based on the volume of production sold between January 15, and April 15, 2020; the volume of production shipped, but unpaid; and the number of acres for which harvested production did not leave the farm or mature product destroyed or not harvested during that same time period, and which have not and will not be sold. Specialty crops include, but are not limited to, almonds, beans, broccoli, sweet corn, lemons, iceberg lettuce, spinach, squash, strawberries and tomatoes. A full list of eligible crops can be found on farmers.gov/cfap. Additional crops may be deemed eligible at a later date.

Giffin, reminds producers that Friday, September 11th is the final date to sign up in the Coronavirus Food Assistance program.

For More information, contact the Jefferson/Sevier/Cocke Farm Service Agency.