Applications continue to be accepted from fruit and vegetable crop producers looking to participate in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2. Veronica Nigh, economist with American Farm Bureau, encourages producers in Georgia, Florida and Alabama to get signed up sooner rather than later.
“Anytime there’s a limited amount of funds, a lot of folks would be interested in it. You never know how the rules on CFAP 2 are a little bit different. The commodities are a little bit different than the last time. You never know if the changes that have been implemented are enough to bring folks out of the woodwork who weren’t participating in the first program,” Nigh said. “There’s no need to wait. Get on in there and make sure you get applied for the program.”
Fruits, Vegetables, Tree Nuts Included
According to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 website, more than 230 fruit, vegetable, horticulture and tree nut commodities are eligible for CFAP 2. These includes blueberries, strawberries, pecans, cucumbers and squash.
CFAP 2 follows the first round of CFAP, which had an application period of May 26 through Sept. 11. CFAP 2 has allocated $14 billion to aid producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It never seems to be enough, whatever is allocated. There’s a lot of producers and our industry is one that’s high valued. We hope that it provides the emergency assistance that growers need,” Nigh said. “I think we should look a little bit to the first CFAP program which has yet to reach its full subscription for a variety of different reasons. So far, about $10 billion in support has been provided to cattle, hog, dairy, non-specialty crops, specialty crops and other producers for losses experienced through mid-April. Certainly, the $14 billion would suggest they’re in the ballpark of what makes sense for a limited window of damages, which is what the CFAP programs have to look at.”
Vegetables List
Vegetables eligible for CFAP 2 include: alfalfa sprouts, aloe vera, artichokes, arugula (greens), asparagus, bamboo shoots, batatas, bean sprouts, beans (including dry edible), beets, bok choy, broccoflower, broccoli, broccolini, broccolo-cavalo, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, calaloo, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chickpea (see beans, garbanzo), chives, collard greens, coriander, corn, sweet, cucumbers, daikon, dandelion greens, dasheen (taro root, malanga), dill, eggplant, endive, escarole, frisee, gailon (gai lein, Chinese broccoli), garlic, gourds, greens, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes (sunchoke), kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lentils, lettuce, melongene, mesculin mix, microgreens, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnip, peas (including dry edible), pejibaye (heart of palm), peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, salsify (oyster plant), scallions, seed – vegetable, shallots, spinach, squash, swiss chard, tannier, taro, tomatillos, tomatoes, truffles, turnip top (greens), turnips, yam, and yautia (malanga).
Fruits List
Fruits eligible for CFAP 2 include: abiu, acerola (Barbados cherry), achachairu, antidesma, apples, apricots, aronia (chokeberry), atemoya (custard apple), bananas, blueberries, breadfruit, cacao, caimito, calabaza melon, canary melon, canary seed, caneberries, canistel, cantaloupes, carambola (star fruit), casaba melon, cherimoya (sugar apple), cherries, Chinese bitter melon, citron, citron melon, coconuts, cranberries, crenshaw melon, dates, donaqua (winter melon), durian, elderberries, figs, genip, gooseberries, grapefruit, grapes, ground cherry, guamabana (soursop), guava, guavaberry, honeyberries, honeydew, huckleberries, Israel melons, jack fruit, jujube, juneberries, kiwiberry, kiwifruit, Korean golden melon, kumquats, langsat, lemons, limequats, limes, longan, loquats, lychee, mangos, mangosteen, mayhaw berries, mesple, mulberries, nectarines, oranges, papaya, passion fruits, pawpaw, peaches, pears, pineapple, pitaya (dragon fruit), plantain, plumcots, plums, pomegranates, prunes, pummelo, raisins, rambutan, sapodilla, sapote, schizandra berries, sprite melon, star gooseberry, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, tangors, wampee, watermelon, wax jamboo fruit, and wolfberry (goji).
“Certainly, there’s a lot to be excited about there for folks. Another $14 billion certainly won’t hurt,” Nigh said.
The USDA will accept CFAP 2 applications through Dec. 11, 2020. Learn more at farmers.gov/cfap.