Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a second round of coronavirus relief payments which extends eligibility to additional classes of wheat. The new $14 billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) package covers producers of all classes of wheat. It assures support for all Oregon Wheat producers affected by price declines, market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.
“The Oregon Wheat Growers League thanks Secretary Perdue and USDA for the inclusion of all wheat classes in CFAP 2 to help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 on wheat prices.” stated OWGL president Clint Carlson. The Oregon Wheat Growers League encourages qualifying producers to work with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) on their application. FSA will accept CFAP 2 applications from September 21 through December 11, 2020.
Producers will be able to apply online (
https://www.farmers.gov/cfap) or work directly with their local FSA office. To complete the CFAP 2 application, producers will need to reference their sales, inventory, and other records.
The expansion of CFAP 2 to include all classes of wheat recognizes the impacts of market disruptions to all wheat producers. NAWG President and Cass City, MI, wheat grower Dave Milligan stated that “This relief comes at a much-needed time when producers are being hit with depressed prices resulting in part from the effects of COVID-19. Futures prices have dropped more than 12% since beginning of 2020 until early August.” NAWG was a key advocate for the program expansion, meeting with senior USDA officials throughout the summer. Clint Carlson stated that “The partnership with NAWG and the support of our congressional members has been critical to achieving this support.” Earlier this month, letters signed by Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, and Representative Walden, along with 19 other US Senators and 25 other House members identified the need for this program expansion to address the deteriorating economic conditions for wheat producers.
The effectiveness of OWGL, NAWG and other state associations in providing feedback and expressing the need for program support helped ensure CFAP 2 would be open to wheat producers. Dave Milligan stated: “NAWG applauds USDA’s work on CFAP and will continue to work with the Agency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure all wheat farmers in need of support have access to it.” OWGL appreciates USDA’s responsiveness and will provide further information for our members to access resources. Producers can visit
https://www.farmers.gov/cfap for further details.