U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue speaks at the Citrus Expo in 2017. He spoke with Clint Thompson with AgNet Media about CFAP.
By Clint Thompson
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments are already starting to be issued across the country to farmers impacted by COVID-19.
Some specialty crop growers in the Southeast have already started receiving funds.
As of June 8, in Florida, 95 specialty crop applications have been submitted with $11.5 million in payments issued by the USDA. In Georgia, 91 specialty crop applications have been submitted with $340,938.92 in payments. In Alabama, six specialty crop applications have been submitted with $40,102.30 in payments.
In North Carolina, 13 specialty crop applications have been submitted with $33,898.82 in payments. In South Carolina, nine specialty crop applications have been submitted with $27,780.48 in payments.
Farmers are currently submitting applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). In some instances, checks have already been issued to producers impacted by COVID-19.
Sonny Perdue
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue talked about CFAP with Clint Thompson, multimedia journalist with AgNet Media. In particular, he discussed the cap placed on the payments issued to each eligible grower.
United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday. He attended a farmers to families food box event. It’s a new program that the United States Department of Agriculture launched to purchase $3 billion in excess food from farmers and distribute to families in need.
He talked about the program with Clint Thompson, multimedia journalist with AgNet Media.
Secretary Perdue talks about the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
Hemp producers in the Southeast need to be mindful of fire ants. They will damage the stems of hemp plants if not treated, said Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook with fire ant problems the last seven days, really. A couple of weeks ago, we had all of those storms that came through; a lot of rain and temperatures are increasing. We started seeing fire ant swarms about two weeks ago. All of those swarms led to newly mated females that became queens that started mounds and now are chewing on the stems of hemp,” Kesheimer said. “It’s very quick because these seedlings are no more than 20 centimeters tall in some instances. They’re just a couple of inches, not that big. The fire ants make a mound at the base of the plant and start stripping the bark and tunneling through the stem.
“I don’t even know if I was onboard with hemp this time last year, but this just seems kind of early for fire ant problems in hemp. I was caught off guard with how many issues we were having.”
Growers have already started planting this year’s crop. Fortunately, there are management practices growers can implement to control fire ant issues. But they need to do them.
“I’ve been recommending people get out there and bait because that’s going to take at least a couple of weeks but also do individual mound treatments. We have some products approved for hemp by the Department of Ag. I think a lot of growers did not heed my warning to put out bait in the fall,” Kesheimer said.
(Washington, D.C., June 4, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already approved more than $545 million in payments to producers who have applied for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. FSA began taking applications May 26, and the agency has received over 86,000 applications for this important relief program.
“The coronavirus has hurt America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, and these payments directed by President Trump will help this critical industry weather the current pandemic so they can continue to plant and harvest a safe, nutritious, and affordable crop for the American people,” said Secretary Perdue. “We have tools and resources available to help producers understand the program and enable them to work with Farm Service Agency staff to complete applications as smoothly and efficiently as possible and get payments into the pockets of our patriotic farmers.”
In the first six days of the application period, FSA has already made payments to more than 35,000 producers. Out of the gate, the top five states for CFAP payments are Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and South Dakota. USDA has released data on application progress and program payments and will release further updates each Monday at 2 p.m. ET. The report can be viewed at farmers.gov/cfap.
FSA will accept applications through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5%-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
In order to do this, producers will receive 80% of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as funds remain available.
Getting Help from FSA
New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.
Producers can download the CFAP application and other eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap. Also, on that webpage, producers can find a payment calculator to help producers identify sales and inventory records needed to apply and calculate potential payments. Producers self-certify their records when applying for CFAP and that documentation is not submitted with the application. However, producers may be asked for their documentation to support the certification of eligible commodities, so producers should retain the information used to complete their application.
Those who use the online calculator tool will be able to print a pre-filled CFAP application, sign it, and submit it to your local FSA office either electronically or via hand delivery through an office drop box. Please contact your local office to determine the preferred delivery method for your local office. Team members at FSA county offices will be able to answer detailed questions and help producers apply quickly and efficiently through phone and online tools. Find contact information for your local office at farmers.gov/cfap.
Policy Clarifications
FSA has been working with stakeholder groups to provide further clarification to producers on the CFAP program. For example, the agency has published a matrix of common marketing contracts that impact eligibility for non-specialty crops and has provided a table that crosswalks common livestock terms to CFAP cattle categories. Updated information can be found in the frequently asked questions section of the CFAP website.
More Information
To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmers to Families Food Box Program has distributed more than five million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sonny Perdue
“The Farmers to Families Food Box Program was designed to put American farmers and distributors of all sizes back to work while supporting over-burdened food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other non-profits serving Americans in need, and the program is doing just that,” said Secretary Perdue. “It’s encouraging to see the passion with which farmers, distributors and non-profits have gone above and beyond to make this program work in support of the American people. Although a momentous milestone, this is only the beginning for the program, and with continued support we expect up to 40 million boxes will be delivered throughout the country by June 30.”
“Since our launch of the Farmers to Families Food Box, 5 million boxe have been successfully delivered to Americans most in need all across the country. Through this innovative program, small and regional distributors are bringing back their workforce to procure food directly from our American farmers and ranchers. Fresh food is getting to those in need, even in the hardest to reach places, through partnerships with food banks, non-profits and faith-based communities,” said Advisor to the President, Ivanka Trump.
Blackberries are included in the survey that the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association, along with NC State and the University of Arkansas, are asking growers to fill out.
The North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association (NARBA), in collaboration with NC State University and the University of Arkansas, is conducting its biennial pricing survey. Growers of caneberries (raspberries, blackberries, and hybrids) in Canada and the U.S. will be asked about prices they received across all distribution methods.
This year, additional questions have been added to capture the impact of COVID-19 on caneberry prices and caneberry operations. All growers who had any caneberry acreage in 2019 or 2020 are invited to participate:
TAKE THE SURVEY The results of the survey will help caneberry growers, and anyone considering growing caneberries, better plan their pricing and production decisions in future years. In addition, this data is useful to researchers and policymakers who need accurate data about caneberry pricing trends in the North American caneberry industry. Caneberry growers can participate in the online survey by following this link.
Survey results will be reported in the NARBA newsletter. For more information about the survey, contact Daniel Tregeagle (tregeagle@ncsu.edu or 919-515-6091). For more information about the North American caneberry industry, contact NARBA Executive Secretary Debby Wechsler (raspberryblackberry@gmail.com or 919-542-4037).
Blueberries are one of the many commodities covered by CFAP. File photo of blueberry production.
By Clint Thompson
One agricultural economist fears there might be insufficient funds to cover farmers who apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
Max Runge
Max Runge, Extension specialist in agricultural economics and rural sociology at Auburn University, believes the 80% of maximum total payment allotted for applicants will not be enough considering the number of producers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I don’t think that will be enough. I think it’ll be short. Agriculture’s big across the U.S. The program covered a lot of it,” Runge said. “I hadn’t sat down and tried to put any kind of numbers to it. But I would be surprised if there’s enough money there to cover it.”
CFAP Background
According to www.farmers.gov, CFAP will provide $16 billion in direct support for agricultural producers where prices and market supply chains have been impacted and will assist producers with additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term disruptions for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19.
To ensure funds will be available throughout the application period, producers will receive 80% of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of each payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date as funds remain available.
“I know that it was a daunting task to try to come up with something to cover everything. I thought it was a good effort. It’s like everything else, you can always look back and say, ‘They should have done this.’ Or ‘This should have been done differently,’” Runge said. “It’s not perfect, but it is something.”
While the program will largely aid vegetable and specialty crop producers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama farmers are hurt by the timeframe. Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Association, says the program’s end date of April 15 doesn’t help his farmers much. Not much is on the market then. The same is true for Alabama farmers.
“We don’t have that much produce maturing at that time and ready for market during that time frame,” Runge said.
A shortage of nitrogen is the most common reason for a cabbage crop not reaching its full yield potential. However, applying too much nitrogen may cause more harm than good. It’s important to determine the optimal rate for production.
Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) and the University of Florida are working in collaboration to conduct trials investigating the optimal rates of nitrogen fertilizer to produce cabbage. According to Andre da Silva, UGA Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist, the recommendations for fertility programs in Florida and Georgia were developed in the 1980s.
“We were really in need of an update,” says da Silva. “Especially since new varieties have been introduced.”
Research Trials
According to da Silva, the study has taken place over the last four years and was tested in six different cabbage varieties.
“Two years of the project were conducted in Florida’s sandy soils, then we repeated the trials for another two years in Georgia’s loam sandy soil to compare,” da Silva said.
During the study, researchers looked at the effects of applying a total nitrogen fertilizer rate of 107, 225 and 280 pounds per acre. Current recommendations suggest applying between 150-200 pounds of nitrogen per acre. But after harvest, researchers found that applying 225 pounds of nitrogen per acre produced optimal yields.
According to da Silva, the results were the same for Florida and Georgia and in all six cabbage varieties. He also mentioned that there was no significant impact on yield between applying 225 pounds of nitrogen per acre and 280 pounds. However, he recommends growers apply 225 pounds per acre to maintain yields and increase profits.
Although 225 pounds of nitrogen per acre seems to be the magic number, applications may need to be adjusted depending on weather conditions.
“We found that in rainy years, we experienced a significant loss of nitrogen due to leaching. In this case, growers may need to bump up their fertility program,” da Silva said.
United Fresh Produce released its first quarter of 2020 issue of Fresh Facts on Retail report that details the rising number of fresh produce purchases in 2020. The unprecedented rise in food and beverage consumption at home was brought about by shelter-in-place orders issued to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“Those closures have led to consumers drastically restructuring their eating habits, especially increasing their consumption of meals and snacks at home,” says Miriam Wolk, Vice President of Member Services with United Fresh. “Our current and future Fresh Facts reports will help the produce industry in leveraging current consumer behaviors and fresh produce purchasing trends.”
First-quarter data highlights show that with health as a top concern, consumers continued to buy fresh food with immune-boosting properties, while also supplementing with shelf-stable and frozen food options. Strawberries and raspberries benefited by extending their reach into more U.S. households. Among vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers were purchased in higher amounts by U.S. consumers. The report also shows a variety of fruits and vegetables continue to influence overall organic growth, presenting many opportunities to innovate and attract health-conscious consumers.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)
