Looking to Apply for CFAP Funding? Here’s What You Need to Know
August 18, 2020 
Photo: Janeen Wright.
Last week, USDA announced additional commodities that are covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). That list of crops includes cut flowers and nursery crops, and with the application period beginning this past Monday, now is the time to prepare if you’re looking for apply for funding.
“While this funding won’t solve all your financial setbacks as a producer, any relief certainly helps,” said Craig Regelbrugge, Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations at AmericanHort, in kicking off a recent webinar that offered tips and advice on applying for CFAP funding. The bulk of the webinar presentation was made by Matthew Farrell, Director at K-Coe Isom, a partner organization of AmericanHort.
“All applications for CFAP funding are made through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), so you’ll want to start by finding and contacting your local FSA office,” Farrell said. “Farmers.gov also has a large library of information on the program.”
Of note, Farrell said interested growers can apply online and with the help of an FSA program technician. However, don’t rely on them to do all the work for you.
“You are responsible for all information entered into the application, so make sure it’s right before you submit it,” Farrell says.
If you’re applying for CFAP funding because of lost income due to plants that were not shipped and subsequently dumped, you’ll also want to know when those losses occurred. This will determine which government program your funds will come from, and the payments rates are different for each.
More detailed information can be through several outlets:
- A complete recording of the webinar, available here
- A CFAP Eligibility and Application Guidance resource document from AmericanHort and K-Coe Isom, available here
- A CFAP page on Farmers.gov
- A call center hotline: 877-508-8364
- The K-Coe Isom team is also available to help
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