Friday, May 29, 2020 5:46 am

The much-anticipated Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) has finally arrived. FSA will be implementing this program under our current operating status which means no direct producer contact. Please be prepared to work with your county FSA office by phone, email, fax, and online.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America's farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Producers can apply for assistance beginning on May 26, 2020. Additional information and application forms can be found at farmers.gov/cfap. Producers of all eligible commodities will apply through their local FSA office. Documentation to support the producer's application and certification may be requested. FSA has streamlined the signup process to not require an acreage report at the time of application and a USDA farm number may not be immediately needed. Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020.

Applicants will contact the Farm Service Center and provide their name, phone number, and email (if applicable).
Producers can opt to get a copy of the information collector worksheet by mail, e-mail, pickup from drop box outside our office door, or from the UT Cannon County Extension Office at 614 Lehman Street.
Once applicants have their information collector form, they will provide their production/inventory on the form.
The FSA staff will schedule a telephone appointment at a time selected by the applicant. During this telephone call, we will gather information from the information collector form and input onto the actual CFAP application.
Once the information is loaded in the application, we will print the application and mail it, along with any other required documents, to be signed and returned to our office, either by mail or drop box (located in front of the Smithville USDA Service Center).

Here are a couple of things to help us point out as we provide outreach:
The CFAP signup period ends August 28, 2020.
80% of the eligible payment will made immediately upon FSA County Committee approval. After the end of the signup, the remaining 20% will be evaluated to determine if the allocation percentage will need to be prorated to accommodate funding for all approved applications. (i.e. there is no advantage by being the first person or last person to sign up. Everyone will get the same bite at the apple. )
Producers are not required to provide any supporting evidence of production or inventory at signup. This is a self-certification program.
There will be a spotcheck process after the program is over. Applicants selected for spotcheck will be required to provide supporting evidence to support the production/inventory claimed on their application.

Contact the FSA office at 615-597-8225, Ext. 103 or email Donald.Green@tn.usda.gov. Please drop by the UT Cannon County Extension office to pick up a CFAP worksheet prior to contacting the FSA office. Worksheets can be picked up during regular business hours at the office or additional copies are available in the mailbox located next to the front door. Feel free to contact Bruce Steelman at 615-563-2554 or by cell at 615-542-1364.