Thank you again for joining us. >> June 11th, 2020 this month, OBC I. Today we're pleased to have several guest speakers with us this morning from the Virginia state office of the Farm Service Agency. >> Today's topic is going to be the USDA coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or more commonly referred to as the CFA program. And we're pleased to be joined by Miss Alice and gone who isn't agricultural program specialist with the Virginia state office and the Farm Service Agency. And Allison has also joined this morning by some of our colleagues, Miss Emily horse Lee and his Ashley Dalton, who will also be providing some comments and and recommendations for us regarding the sea Fat program this morning. So thank you all for joining us. We really appreciate your time this morning. >> And without further ado, I'll go ahead and turn it over to Alice. >> And so Allison, you could go ahead and share your screen for your presentation. We'll get started. All right, thank you very much, Ravi. Alright, well again, thank you Robbie for the introduction. Again, my name is Alice and go and I'm a program specialist with the USDA. I had been with the agency for 19 almost 19.5 years. I had been a Program Specialist since 2006. I primarily handle the disaster programs. And again, as Robin mentioned, ashley Dalton and Emily horse layer with me. They see Fat program, the coronavirus food assistance program, because it is dealing with four different commodity groups. We did break it up a little bit. I am handling the livestock portion as well as the specialty crops. Ashley is handling the non specialty crops and the dairy portion, and Emily handles the eligibility, the payment limitation, AGI, all of those things and only handles that is so in conjunction, all three of us from the state level work with our county offices. At the local level, which is shoe producers deal with directly producers signed up for the program and get paid as quick as they cared. So without any further ado, I will get started with this again. I'm going to go through the presentation and then afterwards questioned and Emily, Ashley, or I will jump in on answers depending upon where the question, what area of the program it belongs to. So today we're gonna go over what is C fat, the coronavirus food assistance program. We're going to review eligibility and payments forms and documents, how producers should apply for the program, and also supporting new FSA customers that have not traditionally participated in our in any of our programs. We will cover basics on the coronavirus food assistance program. Today, the kind of 19 pandemic impacted producer operations in many ways. This program works to address two challenges from the coronavirus price declines in supply chain disruption. The pandemic caused a decline in demand for some commodities and affected the market supply chain for some producers. Some producers may have had challenges in getting products to market before they spoiled, had to dump milk for contracts getting cancelled over effective bicycles and restaurants closing Program provides relief through direct payments to partially offset losses experienced by producers. Fsa is working very quickly to provide assistance to producers and building out these applications and is working to process them as quickly as possible for payment to ensure fund serve as many producers is possible. Producers whose applications are approved will, will receive 80% of their maximum total payment now up to the payment limitation. And any additional payment will be determined by the secretary and announced at a later date to hear some general program information before we go into details. Fsa will be accepting applications for C fat from May 26th to August 28th, 2020. Applications are being processed on a rolling basis, which means that FSA will consider each application for approval as it comes in. If an application is approved, FSA will process the payment even if it is before the end of the sign-up deadline because FSA is working to ensure producers receive relief as soon as possible. Fsa will not require documentation for the losses they report on their CIF application. Producers will be self certify and this information is accurate. However, producer should endeavor to collect any documentation they have. Documentation will be required if if FSA performs a spot check or for certain commodities. The local county committee request to see documentation once an application has been submitted, any outstanding forms are issues regarding eligibility for applicants will need to be resolved within 60 days from the producer signing the application. Producers who have an interest in an operation should apply individually. For examples, it, if producers are operating within a cooperative structure, grubber should apply individually to the program file. An application can be submitted to any FSA, office of producers, Office of record, and process the application. Fsa identified commodities that are eligible for SSI fat payment by identifying those commodities that experienced a 5% or greater national price loss as a result of coded 19, or commodities that had a substantial marketing cost of inventories. Fsa sought to identify all available price data, including prices collected by USDA and commodities traded on the futures market, which I percent decline and features prices for these identified commodities occurred between the weeks of January 13th through 17th, 20-20 again, April sixth night 20-20. Covered commodities include dairy, livestock, non specialty crops, wool and specialty crops. Non specialty crops eligible for SSI, fat payment, or multi barley, canola, corn, upland cotton mill, it hurts. Sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat. Payments will also be available for specialty crops, including but not limited to beans, broccoli, sweet corn, lemons, iceberg lettuce, spinach, squash, strawberries, and tomatoes As well as dairy cattle, lambs in New Orleans will and hogs in today's processors are ineligible. A contract grower who does not own the livestock will be considered a producer if the contract allows of grower to have a risk in the livestock, livestock owners and contract growers who are at risk and have a share in the livestock available for marketing or would have a share the livestock been marketed are eligible livestock producers, producers in the myths of filing for bankruptcy or closing operations, but we're still operating somewhere within mid January through mid April may still apply as a no. Prices are collected by USDA commodities traded on the features markets. Participation in the Small Business Administration's paycheck protection program, or PPP, or the economic injury Disaster Loan Program. Aidl does not impact producer eligibility for SSI, fat or any USDA farm program. The PPP duplicate benefit provisions does not have an impact on FSA farm programs or foreign loan programs. So now I'm going to go over the four different commodities and I'm going to start with specialty crops. Producers of specialty crops are eligible for SSI, fat payments for the following three categories. If producers had props that realized a 5% or greater reduction in sales price between mid January and mid April. As a result of the curve at 19 pandemic producers who had Purdue's shipped but subsequently spoil due to loss of marketing channel or producers that had shipments that did not leave the farm or mature crops that remained unharvested. Payments for these specialty crops will be available for l, for which produce or had a production not subject to an agreed upon price or a forward contract agreement or similar binding document. Payment details for the specialty crops are as follows. For those payments for the crops that had a 5% or greater price decline between January 15th and April 15th of 2020. Producers must maintain records such as a bill of sale document and the price of the received crop payments will also be issue for crop shipments that left the farm by April 15th, 20-20 and spoil due to no market. Producers must obtain documentation says, here's a letter from the buyer explaining non-payment or other records validating non-payment. This applies to producers who have met contractual obligations and delivering the crop to the buyer, but have not yet been paid. The third payment, us for crop shipments that did not leave the farm by April 15th, 2020, for example, they were harvested. But we're sitting and crates on the farm are mature Crocs. There were unharvested by that date. If they were plowed under or however the producer handle that due to lack of buyers which had not been or will not be sold. And again, that the, the highlighted word on that one is mature crops. The crops had to have been mature by April 15th, 2020 in order to be eligible, producers are encouraged to apply for assistance undersea Fab, if they donated crops that otherwise would have spoiled due to COBIT related mark, you mean disruptions? Usda will consider those losses similar to crops that were not sold, are shipped to the farm or shift from farming. The next few slides are just the current eligible specialty crops. This list may be added to before the program is over. With that right now, these are the ones that the USDA have determined to be eligible. Now again, we need to look at mature crops. So here, Virginia for our fruits and vegetables, not all of these crops, we grow a lot of these crops, but not all of them will have been mature by April 15th, 2020. >> I will make a note on here. >> Apples, apples that were in cold storage, that were produced in 2019, but we're still in cold storage and ready for the 2020 Market would be eligible as long as they were fell into one of those categories between January 15th and April 15th of 2020. That's just one example of that. >> I'm not going to go over all of the lists and let everyone look at that as as it's available for Dina across Virginia that we have had some applications for strawberries and I do believe some dry onions from last year had been eligible. >> Though again, the k2t, especially crops, is that again, maturity had to have been reached by April 15th, 2020. So going on to non specialty crops, which again, Ashley Dalton, honest specialists in the state office that covers non specialty crops. Some at the end of the presentation, any questions she'll be able to help out on answers on that one. Non specialty crops eligible for SSI fat payments include malted barley, and it is limited to melting barley, canola, corn up lint, cotton mill, it. Oops, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat. Wool is also eligible. Crops that are intended for grazing are not eligible for SSI fat. And producers will be paid based on inventory held which was subject to price risk as of January 15th, 20-20 producers will be paid based on inventory subject price risk. Again, held as of January 15th, 2020. A single payment will be made based on 50% of the producers 2019 total production or the unpriced 2019 inventory as of January 15th, 20-20, whichever is smaller. That number will then multiply by 50% and then multiplied by the commodities applicable payment rates. Producers must provide the following information. Percy fat the total 2019 production Commodity that suffered a 5% or greater price decline, and the tonal 2019 production that was not sold. Ads of January 15th, 20-20. Moving onto livestock, livestock eligible for SSI FAP include beef cattle, hogs, lambs, and near leads. A single payment will be calculated using the sum of the producers number of livestock sold between January 15th, an April 15th, 20-20 multiply about a payment rate per head and the highest inventory number of livestock between April 16th and May 14th, 2020, multiplied by the payment rate. Producers must provide the following information for C fat. So again, the total sales of eligible livestock by species and class between January 15th, April 15th, 20-20 of own inventory as of January 15th, 20-20 including any offspring from that inventory. They must also provide the highest number of eligible livestock by species and class between April 16th, 20-20 and May 14th, 2020. >> So I want to kind of talk about that a little bit too. >> We're actually looking at two different set of numbers. So between April 15th I mean, January 15th and April 15th, we're looking at all beef cattle that was sold. Then we're also looking at the highest number of livestock inventory between April 16th and May 14th, 2020. Again, this is for beef cattle, for hogs, for lands and yearlings, that highest number of inventory I want to make sure everyone is clear on that. One is that this is also between that April 16th and May 14th date. That should include all inventory on hand at any point. So if a for example, if a older livestock died between that time period as long as they were alive on April 16th. It should be counted. Also any inventory that was any offspring that was born between those dates should also be counted. And if there was a death, it does not matter if it was normed mortality or if it died due to any natural disaster or whatever, all of that should be counted as the highest number. So at any point that livestock was alive between April 16th and May 14th and on hand during that time period should be counted. >> I want to make sure to emphasize that so no one shorts themselves in that number. >> I also want to be clear that cattle that are any card at a dairy operation are ineligible for livestock payments unless the cattle had been fully converted to beef cattle. There has been several questions. So for dairies that have gone out of business that have sold their livestock to another dairy during that January 15th of April 15th time period. They are not eligible because they are still part of a dairy operation unless they were sold to the beef market or sold to a producer that was converting them to the beef market. Those were the only way that they would be eligible. And that's all livestock that are part of the dairy operation, whether they're bowls, non non milking heifers, et cetera. And there is a table of common livestock terms that is available on the farmers.gov website at this website right here. And that crosswalks these terms and see fat cattle categories. It's maybe not to dairy. See fat payments are eligible to all dairy operations with milk production in January, February, and March 2020. Any dumped milk production during the month of January, February, and March 2020 are eligible for assistance for dairy. A single payment will be made based on a producer's certification of milk production for the first quarter of calendar year 2020 multiplied by $4.71 per 100 weight. The second part of the payment is based on a national adjustment. Each producers production in the first quarter multiplied by $1.47 per 100 weight. Any milk that was commercially marketed during January, February, and March of 2020 as eligible for payment. Undersea fat. In addition, milk that was dumped during this timeframe will be considered marketed and therefore eligible for payment. So those are the four commodities. Again, the Ashley and I will be available to answer questions for the commodities, and Emily will be available to answer any questions for the eligibility part after the completion of the presentation. As you notice, especially dear and especially crops that there were o, that not every specialty crop was mentioned, especially I think here in Virginia, we are lacking information for a nursery and agriculture products. And I know that there have been several questions about when will our culture or our oysters and clams here in Virginia, when will they be eligible for payment? Right now, the USDA's is lacking information, market information on that. And the USDA really needs help in identifying additional commodities that did experience loss or market disruption. And not all specialty crops are commodities were included in the sea Fat program. However, FSA has issued a nova to allow producers and opportunity to provide information on unlisted crops for consideration into the program. Anova is a Notice of Funding Availability request. In this case, it is a data call. Fsa needs more information to determine whether other commodities experienced a loss, it a loss or market disruption to qualify to be covered under the sea Fat program. This call for data against producers who grow commodities not currently eligible under the sea Fat program. The opportunity to submit data, their production inventory prices and market disruption. >> Most producers won't know what ANOVA is. >> And the USDA and FSA we are here to help gardening, went through that. >> Should anyone have questions on getting to the nova. >> When this presentation is presented, there will be a link in the PowerPoint presentation ticket to the nova. But the local offices in conjunction with the state offices, we can help producers get to that in order to supply that information to the USDA. The knowhow will be open through June 22nd of 2020. That program is designed to offset payment losses and the financial impacts of the pandemic. The funds do not have to be payback, nor are the stipulations on how they must be spent. Most of the producers apply and have incurred significant cost to get a product ready for market and then cannot sell or experience. Christ declared these payments are not expected to make producers hole or compensate them for all of their losses. But it's designed to get producers some financial relief. If a producer has outstanding debts with the USDA, they should still apply for the program. If they're eligible, their payments will not be withheld to satisfy USDA debts. There are several forms and documentations and producers do you need to have in order to apply for the program and receive payment for ther's a CIF application, which is the 803114, which we will talk about the payment calculator here in a moment. But it is automatically generated from the payment calculator or it can be cold and Maine. >> And we filled in. >> We also need some information from the producers for to, to gather information in order to have them in our system if they are not currently in there. For entities, we will need a CCC minor one, which identifies members of a farm or ranch, But as a legal entity, remember, information will be completed by legal entities are joint operations to collect the following members names, addresses, and tax ID numbers, and citizenship status. We will also need, which is not listed on here, but we'll also need the CCC nine r two, which is the farm operating plan for payment eligibility. Well, we only need parts a and B of the forum, and that's just general information in order to be loaded into the system to receive payment. We will also need the CCC, not 41, which is the average adjusted gross income or AGI certification. >> A. >> Consent to disclosure of tax information. This report, your average adjusted gross income for programs when income restrictions apply. And that's just a certification as to whether or not a producer is over or under the average adjusted gross income of $900 thousand. We may also need the CCC 942 if it is applicable. The certification that's the certification of income from farming, ranching, and forestry operations. This may be needed to report income from farming, branching, and forestry. For those exceeding they adjusted gross income limitation. We will also need the AD 1026, which is the highly erodible land and wetlands conservation compliance. This ensures compliance with highly erodible land conservation. At wetland conservation, the 80-20 47 provides basic cust customer contact information and the SF 3881 collects your banking information to allow us to make payments to you via direct deposit. Farmers who have already participated in any FSA or inner NRCS program or register their farm with FSA will likely already have completed most of these forms. And for the most part, if you are currently already participating in, again, your FSA or NRCS, if you have not received a payment for 2020, your AGI certification is likely the form that we would be missing. There is a C fat payment calculator available to assist with application process. We will talk a little bit more in depth about that one, but I will make one meant in case I forget that if a producer does use, hey, my calculator, they will Ni Microsoft excel in order to use the workbook. So again, this is a self certification. We don't need these documents in order to process the application again, unless a producer's pool for a spot check or the county committee needs additional information to verify the numbers that have been reported. However, in order to gather all of these numbers for producer, here is a, a good little chart that goes for the four different commodity types and what is needed and those types of records that would be good to have. And before the producer begins to enter the information onto the forms, we do recommend that they do start with the C fat calculator. Again, that as available as it is available at farmers.gov, it is helpful because it will transfer the information into the required 803114. And then that will help reproduce or input information specific to their operation to determine our estimated payments and populate the application form. When there are multiple producers on for an operation, producers report information on the form based on their share of the operation. Because payment is calculated differently for different groups of commodities, producers will need to assemble different information depending upon their operation. To successfully complete the form, producers are only available to receive payment for production sales and or inventory that is not subject to price risk, meaning that there is no agreed upon price in the future. You're a forwarding contract agreement or other similar binding document. Any portion of a commodity that is subject to such a binding agreement is ineligible and cannot be included in the application and considered for payment. >> Any any portion that falls under that according MET that category must be subtracted. >> For certain commodities. They must meet the eligible intended use. For example, crops intended for grazing or not eligible. As mentioned before, producers do not need to be existing customers to participate and see fat. However, producers may still reach out with questions because the 80, 10-20, 64 that certifies a producer's compliance with highly erodible conservation and wetland conservation rules instructs that certain producers do you need a farm number. The form describes producers here weighed From needing a farm record. But many producers will not meet those Waber specifications identified on the form. Producers who do not meet the waiver specifications identified can still afford with submitting this form without one FSA will still accept their completed AT 1026 form and move forward with processing there seep application. And if approved, you will receive a C fat came it. There are local FSA office will follow up at a later date to establish a farm record with them in order to fulfill the farm forms requirements. Please do note that produce or participate in NC fat do so have to comply with highly erodible land conservation, wetland conservation provisions as 8226 states, and that they agree to comply with those provisions when they signed a form. And also remember that it is important to keep copies of the documentation and read and records and keep them just in case a yearly review is performed. So far, new producer, producers that have never participated FSA before. These are the information that we need from you in order to apply for C fat and yelled for payment. So again, you need to review the CIF app information and eligibility guidelines, download the application or request an application by mail. Call the hotline to got to get information about the program, which will discuss the hotline. >> And the next series of slides. >> Producers can applaud our mail, fax, hand delivery drop off, or electronically. And also contact your local Service Center for more information. If producers need assistance with an application that can make an appointment with their local office. New producers don't need a farm number, but they will need all of the application forms an ordered and to be able to provide their name and address, personal information including your tax ID number, your farm operating structure, adjusted gross income compliant certification to insurance eligibility, and the direct deposit information to enable payment. I do want to talk a moment about our county offices. As right now, our county offices, we cannot allow we are limited to the number of employees that are allowed in an office at any given time. And we are not allowed to have any weren't outside of the agency in the office. Many offices are utilizing boxes outside of the office in order to receive applications and documentation and also to get forms out. >> So please do contact your local office as well. >> Again, be please be very patient. Most offices at the moment are only made by one person, maybe two at the most, while the other staff is teleworking when when that is available. >> So they could dispute. >> Please be patient with every word and doing this. What we are trying as best we can to process everyone as quickly as possible. You know, that's my family has applied for this and it was a very seamless process. We filled out the application and we emailed him and to the county staff and they've done everything and it went very smoothly. It is working. Just be patient and know that we are working very hard and diligently to get producers signed up and paid. Again, what I mentioned earlier about the call center, FSA has formed a customer call center comprise an FSA field staff from around the country. The call center was established primarily to help producers who may have never done business with USDA before and have questions about the process. But any customer or client or C fat may call this call center is the most direct and fastest way for producers to get information about the program and help with pride for seep. At the call center, employees are able to provide technical assistance when filling out the application, but they may director producer to the local county office to follow up on eligibility questions that require a local office to make the determinations. I say recommends that producers do call to schedule an appointment with their local office if they need assistance with their application. But to not wait on their application and go ahead and start filling out. Now, utilize the call center, utilized calling the local FSA office to get answers to questions. The call center will be able to provide technical assistance that they again, may have to refer policy specific policy decisions to the local county office. And here is just a flow chart of order events for farmers. Kind of how the whole program is going to go for beginning with the application form all the way to review and payment. There is a video tutorial regarding the payment calculator that is available on the farmers.gov see fat page. That will play a YouTube video, which you could probably search that their YouTube as well and find it again. Producers need to utilize the call center and their local county office for questions. >> Take advantage of the virtual applications. >> And again, it can be mailed in, it can be emails, and we can take the applications in many different forms. And we're being very flexible wireless as, as best we can in order to again, expedite these applications and Producers paid. We also, I do wanna do make last plug for submitting information through the knife, a process for enlisted crops to be considered. >> Again, USDA really needs the help or that word for those crops, especially specialty crops that are not listed. And that is all I have today. >> And I thank you for your term. And right now I will open it up to any questions for me or ashley Are Emily Well, Allison, I guess you did an excellent job covering everything. >> There's no question. >> So thank you again for all the great information this morning and thank you to Emily and Ashley as well for joining us. >> Also, we ask that if you can please take our survey to let us know how we're doing with these programs. If you're finding BC activate beneficial to you and and your operation. >> So if you check that chat box there, Stephanie has been gracious and added that link there for us. >> So it's a direct hyperlink. If you would like to take that force at the end of the presentation, we would really appreciate the feedback to help us improve this program. So again, thank you, Allison, Emily, and Ashley from USDA Farm Service Agency state office and Virginia. >> Thank you so much for you. >> Coronavirus food assistance program updates and information. We really appreciate your joining us this morning. Also like to thank the colleague, agents of mind that help make this presentation. >> And DC exit a gospel law, maxi Ne and Hanover County. >> Stephanie Rommel check, and Westmoreland county. >> Trent Jones, North humble and in Lancaster County. And Mike brought us and Caroline and King George County. >> And we would also like to thank our summer interns as well for help him with all of the putting this together and in making all of this possible. So thank you as well for all of your efforts on that.