Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Aquaculture eligible for CFAP 2 includes any species of aquatic organisms grown as food for human consumption, fish raised as feed for fish that are consumed by humans, and ornamental fish propagated and reared in an aquatic medium. Eligible aquacultural species must be raised by a commercial operator and in water in a controlled environment.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/aquaculture for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to aquaculture. 
 

Broilers, eggs, and pullets are currently eligible for CFAP 2. 

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/broilers-eggs-pullets for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to broilers, eggs, and pullets.
 

Cow milk and goat milk are both eligible for CFAP 2.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/dairy for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to dairy. 
 

Floriculture eligible for CFAP 2 includes cut flowers and cut greenery from annual and perennial flowering plants grown in a container or controlled environment for commercial sale. Nursery crops eligible for CFAP 2 include decorative or nondecorative plants grown in a container or controlled environment for commercial sale. 

Cactus and Christmas trees are also eligible for CFAP 2. 

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/nursery for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to floriculture and nursery crops, including cactus and Christmas trees.

Livestock eligible for CFAP 2 includes: beef cattle, hogs and pigs, and lambs and sheep. Breeding stock is not eligible.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/livestock for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to livestock. 

USDA is implementing an increase in CFAP 1 payment rates for cattle based on the number of cattle in inventory between April 16, 2020, to May 14, 2020. Cattle producers with approved CFAP 1 applications will automatically receive these payments. The following payment rates will be used:

Eligible producers do not need to submit a new CFAP 1 application form or take any action. Only producers who previously applied for CFAP 1 are eligible to receive this additional payment.

Additional CFAP 1 payments for swine producers and payments for contract growers under CFAP Additional Assistance are currently on hold and are likely to require modifications to the regulation as part of a broader evaluation. FSA will continue to accept applications from interested contract growers during this evaluation period.

Certain contract growers are eligible for assistance through CFAP 2 under CFAP Additional Assistance. Payments for contract growers are currently on hold and are likely to require modifications to the regulation as part of a broader evaluation. FSA will continue to accept applications from interested contract growers during this evaluation period.

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. 

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.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/row-crops for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to row crops. 
 

More than 230 fruit, vegetable, horticulture, and tree nut commodities are eligible for CFAP 2 along with honey, maple sap, and turfgrass sod.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/specialty for a full list of eligible commodities and more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to these commodities. 
 

Specialty livestock eligible for CFAP 2 consists of animals commercially raised for food, fur, fiber, or feathers, and includes: alpacas, bison, buffalo, beefalo, deer, ducks, elk, emus, geese, goats, guinea pigs, llamas, mink (including pelts), mohair, ostrich, pheasants, quail, rabbits, reindeer, turkey, water buffalo, and yak.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/specialty-livestock for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to specialty livestock.

Tobacco is eligible for CFAP 2. Tobacco funding will come from the authority given by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Payments for tobacco producers are currently on hold and are likely to require modifications to the regulation as part of a broader evaluation. FSA will continue to accept applications from interested tobacco producers during this evaluation period.

Wool is eligible for CFAP 2. 

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/wool for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to wool. 
 

Producers with an eAuthentication account can apply for CFAP 2 via our CFAP 2 Application Portal. Applications can be completed, electronically signed, and submitted directly to your local Service Center through this online system. Producers interested in creating an eAuthentication account should visit farmers.gov/sign-in to learn more. 

Producers of commodities with flat-rate payments or price trigger crops with acreage reports will use acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers have the option to complete their application by working directly with their local Farm Service Agency or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal. Relevant commodities are detailed under the USDA Service Center Completes Application option.

Please note, online applications will not be possible for entities such as corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, trusts, or estates via the CFAP 2 Application Portal. CFAP 2 applications for these business types should be initiated by contacting your local USDA Service Center or the call center at 877-508-8364. 
 

Producers who are interested in filling out the CFAP 2 application manually can download the application form, AD-3117, to fill out and return to the FSA office at their local USDA Service Center. Instructions for form AD-3117 are available for producers to reference when filling out the form. The AD-3117 application form and application instructions are also available in Spanish.

A continuation sheet for milk production modification, AD-3117A, is also available for download.

Additional forms needed to complete your application may already be on file with your local USDA Service Center. You can find those forms and more information about applying for CFAP 2 at farmers.gov/cfap/apply.

Producers of commodities with flat-rate payments or price trigger crops with acreage reports will use acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers have the option to complete their application by working directly with their local Farm Service Agency or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal. Relevant commodities are detailed under the USDA Service Center Completes Application option.

Producers of commodities with flat-rate payments or price trigger crops with acreage reports will use acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers will have the option to complete or modify their application by working directly with their local Farm Service Agency or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal.

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. Hay, except alfalfa, and crops with intended uses of grazing, green manure, or left standing, are not eligible.

Additionally, eligible price trigger crops include: barley, corn, upland cotton, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, and wheat (all classes.)

Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/row-crops to learn more, and contact your local USDA Service Center to initiate your CFAP 2 application for these specific commodities.

Please note, 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 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.

Any individual or legal entity who shares in the risk of producing a commodity may apply for CFAP 2. Under CFAP Additional Assistance, certain contract growers are now also eligible for the program. Payments for contract growers are currently on hold and are likely to require modifications to the regulation as part of a broader evaluation. FSA will continue to accept applications from interested contract growers during this evaluation period.

All producers must be in the business of farming at the time of submitting their application to be eligible. 

Producers can apply for assistance for only commercially produced commodities.

To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must have an average adjusted gross income of less than $900,000 for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018. However, if 75 percent of their adjusted gross income comes from farming, ranching, or forestry-related activities, the AGI limit of $900,000 does not apply and the person or legal entity is eligible to receive CFAP 2 payments up to the applicable payment limitation.

Persons and legal entities also must:

• comply with the provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations, often called the conservation compliance provisions; and
• not have a controlled substance violation.

Additionally:

• if a person is not a US Citizen or Resident Alien (possessing an I-551 “Green Card”), then that person must provide a significant contribution of capital, land, and active personal labor to be eligible for CFAP 2.
• if a legal entity has more than 10 percent ownership held by persons who are not a US Citizen or Resident Alien, then that entity is eligible for payment only if each foreign person in the entity makes a significant contribution of labor to the farming operation. If the foreign person(s) does not make a significant contribution of active personal labor to the farming operation, the legal entity’s payment is reduced by the pro-rata ownership interest held by the foreign person(s).   

The total CFAP 2 payment that a person or legal entity may receive, directly or indirectly through attribution of payments, is $250,000. As this is a separate program, this payment limitation is separate from the CFAP 1 payment limit. This limitation applies to the total amount of CFAP 2 payments made with respect to all eligible commodities.

The total amount of CFAP 2 payments made to a legal entity – such as to a corporation, limited liability corporation, limited partnership, trust, or estate – is $250,000 except if:

• two different members of the legal entity each provide at least 400 hours of active personal labor, active personal management, or combination thereof with respect to the production of 2020 commodities, then an entity may receive up to $500,000. 
• three different members of the legal entity each provide at least 400 hours of active personal labor, active personal management, or combination thereof with respect to the production of 2020 commodities, then an entity may receive up to $750,000. 

Although the payment limitation is increased for the corporation, LLC, LP, trust, or estate, each members’ payment limitation (received directly or indirectly) remains subject to the $250,000 individual person payment limit. 

As a result of additional assistance being issued, a CFAP applicant that is a corporation, limited liability corporation, limited partnership, trust, or estate will have the option of seeking an increase in the $250,000 payment limitation for those members of an entity that contribute at least 400 hours of active personal labor management, not to exceed a maximum of three members. An authorized representative of a legal entity should contact their local FSA staff to revise a previously filed CFAP 1 or CFAP 2 application.

These payment limit provisions are different from and separate from the payment limitations established by the 2018 Farm Bill.  
 

Commodities not eligible for CFAP 2 include:

• Hay, except alfalfa, and crops intended for grazing are ineligible for CFAP 2.
• All equine, breeding stock, companion or comfort animals, pets, and animals raised for hunting or game purposes.
• Birdsfoot and trefoil, clover, cover crop, fallow, forage soybeans, forage sorghum, gardens (commercial and home), grass, kochia (prostrata), lespedeza, milkweed, mixed forage, pelts (excluding mink), perennial peanuts, pollinators, sunn hemp, vetch, and seed of ineligible crops.

This dashboard tracks CFAP 2 payments and applications by state and is current as of April 12, 2021. Weekly updates will be posted every Monday.

Visit farmers.gov/cfap/commodities for a list of all eligible and ineligible commodities for CFAP 2 outlined by payment category.
 

Visit farmers.gov/cfap/faq for answers to common CFAP questions. These FAQs were last updated on April 12, 2021.

Stakeholder Toolkit

USDA encourages producers and agricultural groups to share information with those in their network. Our CFAP Stakeholder Toolkit includes key talking points, a newsletter article, and suggested social media posts intended to raise awareness around CFAP and the signup period that opened on April 5, 2021. This toolkit was last updated on April 5, 2021.

CFAP Poster

We offer a poster to raise awareness around CFAP. This poster was last updated on April 5, 2021.

The below resources provide more information on CFAP.

• CFAP Additional Assistance Rule (Amendments to CFAP 1 and CFAP 2 rules)
• CFAP Additional Assistance Cost-Benefit Analysis
• CFAP 2 Rule and Cost-Benefit Analysis
• CFAP 1 Rule and Cost-Benefit Analysis