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Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Monday that in the first month of farmers applying for financial relief related to COVID-19, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has approved more than $7 billion in payments.

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP 2, provides agricultural producers with financial assistance to help absorb some of the increased marketing costs associated with the pandemic.

“America’s agriculture communities are resilient, but still face many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These payments directed by President Trump will continue to help this critical industry recoup some of their losses from ongoing market disruptions and associated costs,” Perdue said. “This program builds upon the over $10 billion disbursed under the first round of CFAP. Agricultural producers who have been impacted by the pandemic since April 2020 are encouraged to apply for assistance.”

Since CFAP 2 enrollment began on September 21, FSA has approved more than 443,000 applications. The top five states for payments are Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois and Kansas.

Through CFAP 2, USDA is making available up to $14 billion for producers.

Source: USDA