Newhouse Applauds USDA Announcement of COVID-19 Relief for Central Washington Agriculture
CFAP 2 to include assistance requested by Newhouse for specialty crop producers, livestock and dairy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after President Trump and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the second round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) will provide up to an additional $14 billion for agricultural producers who continue to face disruptions and associated costs due to COVID-19:
"Central Washington's agriculture producers are resilient, but the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our ability to maintain a strong, stable food supply chain," said Rep. Newhouse. "Over the past few months, I have worked with Secretary Perdue to advocate for our agriculture commodities that were originally left out of the CFAP, including apples, potatoes, sweet cherries, hops, wine grapes, and wheat; these industries are huge economic drivers for our state, and now they will be included. This assistance will provide desperately-needed relief to our hard-working producers and allow them to continue feeding the world – through this pandemic and into the future. Thank you, Secretary Perdue, for listening to the voices of Central Washington's farmers and ranchers."
CFAP 2 will be available for producers of several Central Washington commodities: Grapes and wine grapes, all classes of wheat, apples, potatoes, pears, cherries, blueberries, mint, peppermint, and others. The program will also provide additional support for dairy and livestock.
Upon the creation of CFAP, Rep. Newhouse applauded Secretary Perdue and President Trump for providing for America's farmers and ranchers. He has worked closely with USDA to advocate for Central Washington's agriculture industry. Today, Rep. Newhouse sent a letter to Secretary Perdue, thanking him for hearing the concerns of Central Washington producers and adjusting the program to deliver relief.
Farmers and ranchers can sign up for CFAP 2 starting September 21 through December 11, 2020. Producers can apply for CFAP 2 at USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices. This program provides financial assistance that gives producers the ability to absorb increased marketing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers will be compensated for ongoing market disruptions and assisted with the associated marketing costs. CFAP 2 payments will be made for three categories of commodities – Price Trigger Commodities, Flat-rate Crops and Sales Commodities. Click here for details and additional information.
Background:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will use funds being made available from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and CARES Act to support row crops, livestock, specialty crops, dairy, aquaculture and many additional commodities. USDA has incorporated improvements in CFAP 2 based from stakeholder engagement and public feedback to better meet the needs of impacted farmers and ranchers.
On April 23, Rep. Newhouse led 126 House colleagues in a bipartisan letter to President Trump urging the elimination of payment limits for livestock, dairy, and produce farmers in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
On June 5, Rep. Newhouse joined Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) in sending a letter to USDA's Farm Service Agency urging the inclusion of three classes of wheat produced in Washington for coverage under CFAP.
On June 23, Rep. Newhouse led a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary Perdue calling for the inclusion of apples in the COVID-19 economic relief efforts. On July 9, USDA announced that apple producers would be eligible for direct payments.
On July 7, Rep. Newhouse led the Washington state delegation in sending a letter to USDA Secretary Perdue calling for support of Washington's agriculture industry – specifically specialty crops – in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
On September 3, Rep. Newhouse joined his colleagues in sending a letter to USDA Secretary Perdue requesting support for 2020 wheat crop losses for all class of wheat.
On September 11, Rep. Newhouse led a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary Perdue requesting COVID-19 relief for American wine grape growers.