WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today applauded an announcement from President Donald Trump and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to distribute direct assistance to agricultural producers affected by the COVID-19 emergency.
The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) will distribute direct payments totaling $16 billion to assist producers of beef, pork, dairy, row crops, produce, and other producers whose markets have been disrupted or lost due to the COVID-19 emergency.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept CFAP applications May 26 – August 28, 2020. Producers should click here to view details and to sign up for the program.
“I thank President Trump and Secretary Perdue for their efforts to help our farmers, ranchers, and growers manage their operations during these unprecedented times,” Roberts said. “I encourage producers to contact their local FSA office to enroll in the program.”
“I will visit with President Trump later today to continue delivering messages from farm country, and we will continue working to make sure our producers have the tools they need during the COVID-19 emergency and beyond.”
Congress authorized a portion of the funding for CFAP in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate. President Trump signed the CARES Act into law on March 27. The CARES Act included $9.5 billion in funds to assist agricultural producers, as well as additional resources to partially replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation. Additionally, Congress provided flexibility for the Secretary of Agriculture to purchase commodities for emergency distribution in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
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