Has your operation been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? USDA is implementing updates to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for producers of agricultural commodities marketed in 2020 who faced market disruptions due to COVID-19. This is part of a larger initiative to improve USDA pandemic assistance to producers.
[This page has been archived.] The signup period for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) is closed. USDA’s Farm Service Agency re-opened CFAP 2 signup beginning April 5, 2021. Signup closed on October 12, 2021.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced an expansion of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) on March 24, 2021. This is part of a larger effort to reach a greater share of farming operations and improve USDA pandemic assistance. CFAP updates included re-opening of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2), additional payments for eligible cattle and row crop producers, and the processing of payments for certain applications filed as part of CFAP Additional Assistance.
USDA announced additional updates to CFAP on August 24, 2021, including additional eligible commodities and flexibility to payment calculations for sales-based commodities and eligible livestock and poultry contract producers. Commodity-specific information is available under Eligible Commodities, below.
Commodities eligible for the current Coronavirus Food Assistance Program signup period are outlined below. Click to learn more about the commodities you grow or raise.
Aquaculture eligible for CFAP 2 includes any species of aquatic organisms grown as food for human consumption, fish raised as feed for fish that are consumed by humans, and ornamental fish propagated and reared in an aquatic medium. Eligible aquacultural species must be raised by a commercial operator and in water in a controlled environment.
Aquaculture are sales-based commodities. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount aquaculture producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/aquaculture for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to aquaculture.
Broilers, eggs, and pullets are currently eligible for CFAP 2.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/broilers-eggs-pullets for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to broilers, eggs, and pullets, including updated payment calculations for sales-based commodities.
CFAP 2 payments for poultry raised by contract producers are available as outlined under the Livestock and Poultry by Contract Producers section of this page.
Cow milk and goat milk are both eligible for CFAP 2.
Goat milk is categorized as a sales-based commodity. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount goat milk producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/dairy for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to dairy.
Floriculture eligible for CFAP 2 includes cut flowers and cut greenery from annual and perennial flowering plants grown in a container or controlled environment for commercial sale. Nursery crops eligible for CFAP 2 include decorative or nondecorative plants grown in a container or controlled environment for commercial sale.
Cactus and Christmas trees are eligible for CFAP 2.
Floriculture and nursery crops are sales-based commodities. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount floriculture and nursery crop producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/nursery for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to floriculture and nursery crops, including cactus and Christmas trees.
Livestock eligible for CFAP 2 includes: beef cattle, hogs and pigs, and lambs and sheep. Breeding stock not raised under contract is not eligible.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/livestock for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to livestock.
USDA implemented an increase in CFAP 1 payment rates for cattle based on the number of cattle in inventory between April 16, 2020, to May 14, 2020. Cattle producers with approved CFAP 1 applications automatically received these payments. The following payment rates were used:
| Eligible Commodity | Payment Rate |
|---|---|
| Feeder Cattle: Less than 600 Pounds | $7.00/head |
| Feeder Cattle: 600 Pounds or More | $25.50/head |
| Slaughter Cattle: Fed Cattle | $63.00/head |
| Slaughter Cattle: Mature Cattle | $14.75/head |
| All Other Cattle | $17.25/head |
Eligible producers do not need to submit a new CFAP 1 application form or take any action. Only producers who previously applied for CFAP 1 are eligible to receive this additional payment.
CFAP 2 payments for livestock raised by contract producers are available as outlined under the Livestock and Poultry by Contract Producers section of this page.
USDA is providing up to $1 billion for payments to contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry of up to 80 percent of their revenue losses from January 1, 2020, through December 27, 2020. These funds were made available through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
Contract producers of broilers, pullets, layers, chicken eggs, turkeys, and hogs and pigs may be eligible for CFAP 2. Ducks, geese, pheasants, and quail produced under contract are also eligible commodities, as well as breeding stock of eligible livestock and eggs of all eligible poultry types raised by contract producers.
Payments for contract producers are based on a comparison of eligible revenue for the periods of January 1, 2019, through December 27, 2019, and January 1, 2020, through December 27, 2020. Contract growers may elect to use eligible revenue from the period of January 1, 2018, through December 27, 2018, instead of that date range in 2019 as a more representative comparison to 2020. This is intended to provide flexibility and make CFAP 2 more equitable for contract producers who had reduced revenue in 2019 compared to a normal year for their operation. The difference in revenue is then multiplied by 80 percent to determine a final payment, as shown in the following equation:
Expected CFAP 2 Payment for Contract Producers = ((Eligible Revenue Received from January 1, 2019 through December 27, 2019 OR January 1, 2018 through December 27, 2018) – (Eligible revenue received from January 1, 2020 through December 27, 2020) x 0.80)
FSA may now adjust a contract producer’s eligible revenue based on information certified by the contract producer if the producer did not have a full period of revenue from January 1 to December 27 for either 2018 or 2019, or if the contract producer increased their operation size in 2020. Additionally, payments will be provided for eligible contract producers who were not in operation in 2018 or 2019, who would have been ineligible under the previous final rule. Assistance for these producers is based on their 2020 eligible revenue and the average revenue loss level, which will be determined by USDA for a geographic area or region based on the best available data.
Payments to contract producers may be factored if total calculated payments exceed the available funding.
Row crops eligible for CFAP 2 include: alfalfa, amaranth grain, barley, buckwheat, canola, corn, Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton, upland cotton, crambe (colewort), einkorn, emmer, flax, guar, hemp, indigo, industrial rice, kenaf, khorasan, millet, mustard, oats, peanuts, quinoa, rapeseed, rice, sweet rice, wild rice, rye, safflower, sesame, sorghum, soybeans, speltz, sugar beets, sugarcane, sunflowers, teff, triticale, and all classes of wheat.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 provides additional CFAP assistance for producers of eligible row crops under CFAP 2. Additional payments will be equal to the eligible acres of the crop multiplied by a payment rate of $20 per eligible acre. FSA will automatically issue payments to eligible producers starting April 1 based on the eligible acres included on their CFAP 2 applications. Eligible producers who have already applied for CFAP 2 do not need to submit a new application to receive this payment.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/row-crops for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to row crops.
More than 230 fruit, vegetable, horticulture, and tree nut commodities are eligible for CFAP 2 along with honey, maple sap, and turfgrass sod.
On August 24, 2021, USDA announced that grass seed has also been added as an eligible commodity.
Specialty crops are sales-based commodities. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount specialty crop producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/specialty for a full list of eligible commodities and more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to these commodities.
Specialty livestock eligible for CFAP 2 consists of animals commercially raised for food, fur, fiber, or feathers, and includes: alpacas, bison, buffalo, beefalo, deer, ducks, elk, emus, geese, goats, guinea pigs, llamas, mink (including pelts), mohair, ostrich, pheasants, pullets, quail, rabbits, reindeer, turkey, water buffalo, and yak.
Specialty livestock are sales-based commodities. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount specialty livestock producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/specialty-livestock for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to specialty livestock.
CFAP 2 payments for specialty livestock raised by contract producers are available as outlined under the Livestock and Poultry by Contract Producers section of this page. Please note that ducks, geese, pheasants, and quail produced under contract are eligible commodities, as well as breeding stock of eligible livestock and eggs of all eligible poultry types raised by contract producers.
Tobacco is eligible for CFAP 2. Tobacco funding will come from the authority given by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Tobacco is categorized as a sales-based commodity. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount tobacco producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/tobacco for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to tobacco.
Wool is eligible for CFAP 2.
Wool is categorized as a sales-based commodity. On August 24, 2021, USDA announced an amendment to the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously only 2019 was used to approximate the amount wool producers would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales provides additional flexibility to producers who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/wool for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to wool.
You can access a full list of all eligible and ineligible commodities outlined by payment category at farmers.gov/cfap/commodities.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency offered multiple options for producers to apply for CFAP 2. Those included:
Producers with an eAuthentication account could apply for CFAP 2 via our CFAP 2 Application Portal. Applications could be completed, electronically signed, and submitted directly to your local Service Center through this online system.
Producers of commodities with flat-rate payments or price trigger crops with acreage reports used acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers had the option to complete their application by working directly with their local Farm Service Agency or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal. Relevant commodities are detailed under the USDA Service Center Completes Application option.
Please note, online applications were not possible for entities such as corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, trusts, or estates via the CFAP 2 Application Portal. CFAP 2 applications for these business types could be initiated by contacting your local USDA Service Center or the call center at 877-508-8364.
Producers who were interested in filling out the CFAP 2 application manually could download the application form, AD-3117, to fill out and return to the FSA office at their local USDA Service Center. Instructions for form AD-3117 were available for producers to reference when filling out the form.
A continuation sheet for milk production modification, AD-3117A, was also available for download.
A continuation sheet for contract producers who did not have a full period of revenue from January 1 to December 27 for either 2018 or 2019, or who increased their operation size in 2020, was also available. You may download form AD-3117B here. Instructions for form AD-3117B were available for producers to reference when completing the form.
Additional forms needed to complete your application may have already been on file with your local USDA Service Center. You can find those forms and more information at farmers.gov/cfap/apply.
Producers of commodities with flat-rate payments or price trigger crops with acreage reports used acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers had the option to complete their application by working directly with their local Farm Service Agency or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal. Relevant commodities are detailed under the USDA Service Center Completes Application option.
Producers of commodities with flat-rate payments or price trigger crops with acreage reports used acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers had the option to complete or modify their application by working directly with their local Farm Service Agency or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal.
Crops eligible for CFAP 2 in the flat-rate payment category included: alfalfa, amaranth grain, buckwheat, canola, Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton, crambe (colewort), einkorn, emmer, flax, guar, hemp, indigo, industrial rice, kenaf, khorasan, millet, mustard, oats, peanuts, quinoa, rapeseed, rice, sweet rice, wild rice, rye, safflower, sesame, speltz, sugar beets, sugarcane, teff, and triticale. Hay, except alfalfa, and crops with intended uses of grazing, green manure, or left standing, were not eligible.
Additionally, eligible price trigger crops included: barley, corn, upland cotton, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, and wheat (all classes.)
Please note, The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 provided additional CFAP assistance for producers of eligible row crops under CFAP 2. Additional payments were equal to the eligible acres of the crop multiplied by a payment rate of $20 per eligible acre. FSA automatically issued payments to eligible producers based on the eligible acres included on their CFAP 2 applications. Eligible producers who had already applied for CFAP 2 did not need to submit a new application to receive this payment.
Additional forms needed to complete your CFAP 2 application may already be on file with your local USDA Service Center. You can find those forms and more information about applying for CFAP 2 at farmers.gov/cfap/apply.
To complete the CFAP 2 application, producers will need to reference their production, sales, inventory, revenue, and other records. However, since CFAP 2 is a self-certification program, this documentation will not need to be submitted with the application. Contract producers must provide a copy of their contract. Because applications are subject to County Committee review and spot check, some producers will be required to provide documentation. Producers should retain the records and documentation they use to complete the application. Visit farmers.gov/cfap/apply to learn more.
We are committed to delivering USDA services to America’s farmers and ranchers while taking safety measures in response to the pandemic. Some USDA offices are open to limited visitors by appointment only. Service Center staff also continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools.
Please call the FSA office at your local USDA Service Center if you’d like assistance or have questions about applying for CFAP 2.
A call center is available for producers who would like additional one-on-one support with the CFAP 2 application process. Please call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance. The call center can provide service to non-English speaking customers. Customers will select 1 for English and 2 for Spanish. For other languages, customers will select 1 and indicate their language to the call center staff.
USDA is currently implementing Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for agricultural producers whose operations were directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The original application period for CFAP 2 was September 21 through December 11, 2020. USDA reopened CFAP 2 signup for all eligible producers beginning April 5, 2021. Signup will close on October 12, 2021. Key program information includes:
Any individual or legal entity who shares in the risk of producing a commodity may apply for CFAP 2. Contract producers of eligible livestock, poultry, and eggs may also apply for the program.
With the exception of contract producers, all producers must be in the business of farming at the time of submitting their application to be eligible.
Producers can apply for assistance for only commercially produced commodities.
To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must have an average adjusted gross income of less than $900,000 for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018. However, if 75 percent of their adjusted gross income comes from farming, ranching, or forestry-related activities, the AGI limit of $900,000 does not apply and the person or legal entity is eligible to receive CFAP 2 payments up to the applicable payment limitation.
Persons and legal entities also must:
The total CFAP 2 payment that a person or legal entity may receive, directly or indirectly through attribution of payments, is $250,000. As this is a separate program, this payment limitation is separate from the CFAP 1 payment limit. This limitation applies to the total amount of CFAP 2 payments made with respect to all eligible commodities.
The total amount of CFAP 2 payments made to a legal entity – such as to a corporation, limited liability corporation, limited partnership, trust, or estate – is $250,000 except if:
Although the payment limitation is increased for the corporation, LLC, LP, trust, or estate, each members’ payment limitation (received directly or indirectly) remains subject to the $250,000 individual person payment limit.
As a result of additional assistance being issued, a CFAP applicant that is a corporation, limited liability corporation, limited partnership, trust, or estate will have the option of seeking an increase in the $250,000 payment limitation for those members of an entity that contribute at least 400 hours of active personal labor management, not to exceed a maximum of three members. An authorized representative of a legal entity should contact their local FSA staff to revise a previously filed CFAP 1 or CFAP 2 application.
These payment limit provisions are different from and separate from the payment limitations established by the 2018 Farm Bill.
Commodities not eligible for CFAP 2 include:
This dashboard tracks CFAP 2 payments and applications by state. Weekly updates will be posted every Monday.
USDA offers additional resources for farmers and ranchers interested in learning more about CFAP.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap/commodities for a list of all eligible and ineligible commodities for CFAP 2 outlined by payment category.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap/faq for answers to common CFAP questions. These FAQs were last updated on August 30, 2021.
Our Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 fact sheet provides up-to-date program information to support your application. This fact sheet was last updated on September 13, 2021.
Stakeholder Toolkit
USDA encourages producers and agricultural groups to share information with those in their network. Our CFAP 2 Stakeholder Toolkit includes key talking points, a newsletter article, and suggested social media posts intended to raise awareness around CFAP 2 and the signup deadline of October 12, 2021. This toolkit was last updated on August 27, 2021.
Stakeholder Webinar
USDA's CFAP 2 Changes Stakeholder Webinar details program updates and information for producers interested in submitting a new or modified CFAP 2 application by the October 12 deadline. Specific topics include information for contract producers and updates on sales commodities and general program provisions. This webinar was last updated on September 1, 2021.
CFAP Poster
We offer a poster to raise awareness around CFAP 2. This poster was last updated on August 25, 2021.
CFAP Public Service Announcement
USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux discusses the re-opening of USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 in our CFAP Public Service Announcement. This video was published on May 10, 2021.
The below resources provide more information on CFAP.
USDA is dedicated to reaching a broad set of producers and agricultural businesses through our new initiative, Pandemic Assistance for Producers.
Visit farmers.gov/pandemic-assistance for the latest updates on this new initiative and information on programs and services for your agricultural operation.