The deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) is December 11, 2020.
Under CFAP 2, citrus growers are eligible to receive a direct payment of up to $250,000 per person or entity. CCM strongly encourages every grower to apply to receive a CFAP 2 direct payment. The application process is very simple and every citrus variety is eligible.
Growers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP 2 application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office.
CFAP 2 is a separate program from the first iteration of CFAP, now referred to as CFAP 1. Participating in CFAP 1 is not a prerequisite for participating in CFAP 2. Additionally, growers who applied for CFAP 1 will not be automatically enrolled in CFAP 2 and must complete a new application to be eligible for assistance.
The CFAP 2 payment amount for citrus is determined by the 2019 sales. Growers should consult with their packing house if they are unsure of what their total 2019 sales were. Generally, the sales amount is the total gross sales documented on your 2019 pool statements
Payments will be based on the producer’s 2019 sales of eligible commodities in a declining block format using the following payment factors:
- The amount of the producer’s eligible sales in calendar year 2019, multiplied by
- The payment rate for that range, which can be found at https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/specialty.
Payments for producers who began farming in 2020 and had no sales in 2019 will be based on the producer’s actual 2020 sales as of the producer’s application date.
Both CFAP 1 and CFAP 2 are self-certification programs, which means the applicant certifies the information submitted is correct. As part of the internal controls portion of CFAP 1, FSA is conducting spot checks of applications, asking producers to provide supporting documentation to verify the information on them. Producers are being selected using a statistically sound methodology. These CFAP 1 applicants will be contacted by FSA staff and asked to provide supporting documentation to verify the information certified by the producer on their CFAP 1 application.
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