CFAP payments guidance offered to livestock producers

Ozark County livestock producers – and thousands of farmers and ranchers around the country – are considering how to apply for newly announced federal funds offered to them through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The program provides up to $16 billion to be made in direct payments to farmers and ranchers who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Another $3 billion will be used to purchase fresh produce, dairy and meat for the Farmers to Families Food Box program, according to a news release issued last week by Taylor Young at the Missouri Extension office in Gainesville.

A “member advisory” on the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association website (mocattle.org), explains that “CFAP assistance is available to livestock producers who have an ownership interest in eligible livestock that have suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and face additional significant costs in marketing their inventories due to unexpected surplus and disrupted markets.”

A single CFAP livestock payment “will be calculated using the sum of the producer’s number of livestock sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020, multiplied by the payment rates per head, and the highest inventory number of livestock between April 16 and May 14, 2020, multiplied by the payment rate per head,” the advisory said.

A chart showing the payment rate per head is included in the advisory. 

A wide variety of agricultural products that qualify for the funds, ranging from field crops and dairy to wool and specialty crops, are listed at farmers.gov/cfap.

It’s thought that livestock producers will be the most numerous applicants in Ozark County. 

Enrollment in the program opened Tuesday. To participate, Ozark Countians should complete a CFAP application form and gather required documentation, including tax ID number, farming operating structure, adjusted gross income and direct deposit information. The next step is contacting the nearest Farm Services Agency office, which, for most Ozark Countians, is in Ava (417-683-4212).  

Taylor Young, in the Missouri University Extension office in Gainesville, provided these steps to help producers complete the application:

1. Watch the short how-to video that shows exactly how to fill out the application form for a specified commodity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rne7_cIVeFU&feature=youtu.be  

2. Visit www.farmers.gov/cfap to read eligibility and payment limitations.

3. Scroll down to the program details section and click the “+” sign under “Livestock,” which links to  www.farmers/gov/cfap/livestock, where eligibility requirements and CFAP payment for livestock information is listed, including payment rates.

4. Download and fill out the Excel form. Print and sign it.

5. Contact the FSA office to make an appointment.

For more information about CFAP or completing the application, contact Young at youngta@missouri.edu or call 417-679-3525. Due to pandemic precautions, the Ozark County MU Extension office is open by appointment only.

Funding for CFAP comes from a combination of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act, the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter (CCC) Act and other USDA sources.

“Producers should expect to receive payments 7-10 days after the date of submission,” according to the MCA website. 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423