[Archived] Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for Row Crop 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 Row Crop Commodities

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. 

Forage soybeans and forage sorghum are not eligible for CFAP 2. Hay, except alfalfa, and crops intended for grazing are ineligible for CFAP 2 and will not receive a CFAP 2 payment. Crops with intended uses of green manure and those left standing are also ineligible.

CFAP 2 payments are available for eligible producers of row crop commodities categorized as either price trigger commodities or flat-rate crops. Specifically:

• Price trigger commodities suffered a five percent-or-greater national price decline in a comparison of the average prices for the week of January 13-17, 2020, and July 27-31, 2020.
• Flat-rate crops either do not meet the five-percent-or-greater national price decline trigger noted above or do not have data available to calculate a price change.

CFAP Payments for Price Trigger Row Crops

Payments for eligible row crops included in the price trigger payment category will be equal to the greater of:

1. Eligible acres of the crop multiplied by a rate of $15 per acre; OR
2. Eligible acres of the crop multiplied by a nationwide crop marketing percentage, multiplied by a crop-specific payment rate, and then by the producer’s weighted 2020 Actual Production History (APH) approved yield. FSA updated the payment calculation for certain row crops for CFAP 2, specifically for producers who had crop insurance but did not have an available 2020 APH approved yield. FSA will use 100 percent of the 2019 Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Option benchmark yield for CFAP 2 applications for these producers, rather than the original 85 percent. This calculation changes only for producers with crop insurance coverage who grow barley, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, upland cotton, and wheat. 

Marketing percentages and payment rates for each crop are documented in the table below.

Please note, if you will be filing an application for price trigger row crops identified as “acreage-based crops,” the acreage and yield information must be provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process, either through an application initiated by USDA Service Center staff or by applying online through our CFAP 2 Portal. Call your local USDA Service Center or log into the CFAP 2 Application Portal to initiate your application before the October 12, 2021 application deadline. Visit farmers.gov/cfap/apply to learn more about modifying your existing CFAP 2 application. 

CFAP Payments for Flat-Rate Row Crops

Payments for eligible row crops included in the flat-rate payment category will be equal to eligible acres of the crop multiplied by a rate of $15 per acre. Eligible acres include the producer’s share of the determined acres, or reported acres if determined acres are not present, excluding prevented planted and experimental acres.

Row crops eligible for CFAP 2 in the flat-rate payment category include: 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.  

Please note, if you will be filing an application for flat-rate row crops identified as “acreage-based crops,” the acreage and yield information must be provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process, either through an application initiated by USDA Service Center staff or by applying online through our CFAP 2 Portal. Learn more at farmers.gov/cfap/apply.

Additional Automatic Payments for Row Crop Producers

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. Producers who file new applications for price trigger and flat-rate crops during the reopened application period will also receive the additional payment.

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.