Billion dollars of direct payments to growers

On Thursday, June 4, Robert Guenther, Senior Vice President, Public Policy at the United Fresh Produce Association, provided the following update on the program:

"Today, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue 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 more than 86,000 applications for this important relief program. In addition, they included a very useful FAQ regarding CFAP payments. Click here to see the complete announcement from USDA.

"In addition, USDA has announced a series of webinars to promote and provide details on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program . We wanted to make you aware of a webinar specifically for specialty crop producers which will be held June 9, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. These tend to fill up, so we highly recommend registering beforehand. The registration link is not currently published, but it will be posted here. If you're not able to attend the webinar live, recordings will be available after. This webinar will serve as a helpful tool to guide you through the application process, and provides information on how to submit additional commodities for USDA consideration through the NOFA process.

"Finally, there is also a CFAP Call Center available for producers who would like additional one-on-one support with the CFAP application process. This number is 877-508-8364 and allows you to speak directly with a USDA employee."

Source and Photo Courtesy of Greenhouse Grower

Source: Greenhouse Grower