RESPONSE REQUESTED: How is COVID-19 Impacting Your Business?

UF/IFAS Extension continues to hear from agriculture and aquaculture producers throughout the state about ways the pandemic is affecting your daily work and livelihoods. In this unprecedented and challenging time, the value of your work has never been more evident.

It is with this in mind that we at UF/IFAS now ask for your assistance. My colleagues in the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics department have launched the second round surveys to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 on the agriculture and marine industries in Florida. The survey specific to agriculture and aquaculture is to be completed by you as an agriculture and/or aquaculture professional involved in production.

 The surveys are designed to encompass all key facets of agricultural and/or aquaculture production operations.

 Click here (link: https://tinyurl.com/uflsurvey-round2-agaquaculture) for the survey on agriculture and aquaculture production. This includes crop production, forestry/timber production, nursery and greenhouse operations, agritourism, beekeeping, etc.

We strongly encourage your participation in the survey. The information you provide will help assess the larger impact of COVID-19 to the agriculture and aquaculture industries. This information will be vital to informing decisions made by policymakers and establishing a roadmap for moving forward.

To encourage broad participation from your fellow Florida producers/industry groups, we would welcome your forwarding of this message. 

USDA Announces More Specialty Crops, Nursery Crops, Cut Flowers Eligible for CFAP Payments

 This announcement has been long awaited in the ornamental production community.  Please read below...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that additional specialty crops, including nursery crops and cut flowers, are covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and that the deadline to apply for the program is extended to September 11th. Additionally, producers with approved applications will receive their final payment. The full news release is available at https://www.ams.usda.gov/press-release/usda-announces-more-eligible-commodities-cfap.

USDA collected comments and supporting data for consideration of additional commodities through June 22, 2020. The following commodities are now eligible for CFAP:

• Specialty Crops - aloe leaves, bananas, batatas, bok choy, carambola (star fruit), cherimoya, chervil (french parsley), citron, curry leaves, daikon, dates, dill, donqua (winter melon), dragon fruit (red pitaya), endive, escarole, filberts, frisee, horseradish, kohlrabi, kumquats, leeks, mamey sapote, maple sap (for maple syrup), mesculin mix, microgreens, nectarines, parsley, persimmons, plantains, pomegranates, pummelos, pumpkins, rutabagas, shallots, tangelos, turnips/celeriac, turmeric, upland/winter cress, water cress, yautia/malanga, and yuca/cassava.
• Nursery Crops and Flowers - nursery crops and cut flowers.

Other changes to CFAP include:

• Seven commodities – onions (green), pistachios, peppermint, spearmint, walnuts and watermelons – are now eligible for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act funding for sales losses. Originally, these commodities were only eligible for payments on marketing adjustments.
• Correcting payment rates for onions (green), pistachios, peppermint, spearmint, walnuts, and watermelons.

Additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability and Final Rule Correction and at www.farmers.gov/cfap/specialty.

Producers Who Have Applied:

To ensure availability of funding, producers with approved applications initially received 80 percent of their payments. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will automatically issue the remaining 20 percent of the calculated payment to eligible producers. Going forward, producers who apply for CFAP will receive 100 percent of their total payment, not to exceed the payment limit, when their applications are approved.

Applying for CFAP:

Producers, especially those who have not worked with FSA previously, are recommended to call 877-508-8364 to begin the application process. An FSA staff member can help producers start their application during the phone call.

On farmers.gov/cfap, producers can:

• Download the AD-3114 application form and manually complete the form to submit to their local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to their local office or office drop box.
• Complete the application form using the CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center. 
• If producers have login credentials known as eAuthentication, they can use the online CFAP Application Portal to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center.  

All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file.

All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors are also required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Program delivery staff will be in the office and will work with producers in the office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.