ASCF Deadline

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. USDA is reminding agricultural producers affected by rising production costs that the deadline to apply for key financial assistance programs is fast approaching.

The Farm Service Agency says producers eligible for the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers, or ASCF, program have until Aug. 7 to submit their applications.

USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce says the process should be quick and straightforward …

FORDYCE … “Anybody who is eligible probably has already come in and has done an acreage report. We had opened up acreage reporting for a period of time, got the sense that folks weren't quite able to get that done. So we extended that acreage reporting deadline.”

Fordyce says participation is a little more than halfway to USDA's projected enrollment …

FORCYCE … “And so, the folks that are eligible for an ASCF payment, they've essentially done all the hard work.

The hard work is done. They just need to either access their application through login.gov, if they have a login.gov account, or just simply go into the local Farm Service Agency office, and your application will be there. It is already pre-populated.”

He says he's confident all available funding will ultimately reach eligible producers. If necessary, he says USDA is prepared to find other ways to distribute any remaining dollars.

The USDA's Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program provides a little over $1.6 billion in one-time payments to eligible producers.

Apply online through Login.gov or by visiting your local Farm Service Agency office. Applications close August 7.