[Archived] Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for Specialty Livestock Producers

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on March 24 the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin providing additional financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and producers impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions. Resources for these payments were approved by Congress in fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

The original application period for CFAP 2 was September 21 through December 11, 2020. USDA re-opened CFAP 2 signup for all eligible producers beginning April 5, 2021. All new or modified CFAP 2 applications are due by October 12, 2021. Learn more at farmers.gov/cfap.

Eligible Specialty Livestock

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. Additional livestock commodities are also eligible, as described on farmers.gov/cfap2/livestock, and livestock raised by contract producers are eligible as outlined on farmers.gov/cfap.

Eligible specialty livestock excludes all equine, breeding stock not raised by contract producers, companion or comfort animals, pets, and animals raised for hunting or game purposes.

CFAP 2 payments are available for eligible producers of specialty livestock commodities, which are categorized as sales commodities. Payment calculations will use a sales-based approach, where producers of eligible specialty commodities are paid based on five payment gradations associated with their 2018 or 2019 sales. Please note, specialty livestock commodities are defined as other livestock in the CFAP 2 Rule.

Specialty livestock raised by contract producers are eligible using the payment rates outlined under Livestock and Poultry by Contract Producers at farmers.gov/cfap.

CFAP 2 Payments for Specialty Livestock

FSA has updated the CFAP 2 payment calculation for specialty livestock to account for crop insurance indemnities. This more accurately represents what a producer would have marketed if not for a cause of loss.

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. 

CFAP payments to specialty livestock producers are now calculated using the producer’s eligible sales in calendar year 2018 or 2019 plus crop insurance indemnities received for the eligible specialty livestock for crop year 2018 or 2019, multiplied by the applicable payment rate below. This may mean a higher payment for producers.

Payments for specialty livestock producers who began farming in 2020 and had no sales in 2018 or 2019 will be based on the producer’s actual 2020 sales as of the producer’s application date.

Eligible sales only include sales of raw commodities grown by the producer. The portion of sales derived from adding value to the commodity, such as processing and packaging, and from sales of products purchased for resale, is not included in the payment calculation.

Example: A producer’s 2018 or 2019 sales of eligible commodities totaled $75,000. The payment is calculated as ($49,999 times 10.6%) plus ($25,001 times 9.9%) equals a total payment of $7,775.

Specialty livestock producers who applied during the CFAP 2 sign-up period that closed December 11, and received insurance indemnities, should contact their local USDA Service Center to modify their CFAP 2 applications. Insurance indemnities will be factored in for any specialty livestock producers applying for CFAP 2 for the first time during the application period that opened on April 5.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap/apply to learn more about modifying your existing CFAP 2 application or submitting a new CFAP 2 application. 

Additional CFAP Information

Visit farmers.gov/cfap for more information on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, including eligible commodities, producer eligibility, payment limitations and structure, and the latest program resources.