Specialty Crops CFAP Deadline
Colorado farmers who grow specialty crops are eligible to apply for aid under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
Agriculture Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers spoke with the USDA News Service. He says if you’re a specialty crop producer and think you’re not eligible for the program, you may want to double-check before the deadline this week.
“This is really the first time that specialty crops have been involved in this type of disaster assistance so this is a unique opportunity for specialty crops to participate. This has been a really unique opportunity for specialty crops, it’s also been complicated because there is often a lack of data for some of the smaller items; things like arugula, artichokes, and chives. There’s often not market data available.”
Summers says the eligibility list includes more than 130 types of specialty crops. The list also includes large specialty crops such as apples and potatoes.
He says this is not a loan program and there is no cost to apply. It’s a way for farmers to receive direct payments to offset price declines and additional marketing costs due to the pandemic. The deadline to apply is September 11th.
Specialty crops grown in Colorado include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, nursery and greenhouse production, and sod.
Get information here: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/specialty
