The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) goes into effect July 1, at a crucial time for farmers and ranchers struggling to recover from COVID-19 losses and a depressed agricultural economy. The expected $2 billion annual increase in U.S. agricultural exports and overall increase of $65 billion in gross domestic product will provide a welcome boost. Read Full Article
Trust in America’s farmers and ranchers remains high amid the devastating blow delivered by the COVID-19 pandemic. A new American Farm Bureau Federation poll shows 84% of Americans trust the nation’s farmers and the same overwhelming majority support financial assistance from the government for farmers struggling to keep from going under because of the pandemic. Read Full Article
The USDA Farm Service Agency will host a series of webinars to discuss what producers should know to sign up for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). USDA is making available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities. Read Full Article
By Dan Nordberg and Amy Lea The devastating impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has tested the will of millions of agricultural businesses and farms throughout rural communities all over our nation, but help is on the way. Congress recently passed an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which includes over $310 billion in new funding to help small businesses and agricultural related industries support their payroll costs. Read Full Article
Online Tools and Toll-Free Number Available to Assist Producers CASPER, WY, May 26, 2020 – Agricultural producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application and a payment calculator are now available online, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff members are available via phone, fax and online tools to help producers complete applications. The agency set up a call center in order to simplify how they serve new customers across the nation. Read Full Article
Building the collection of agriculture reading materials in Wyoming elementary libraries so students can learn more about the importance of agriculture is the goal of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Committee “Ag Books for Kids” project. Read Full Article
“Competing in the national competition helped me as a student in that my increased awareness of these agricultural issues was extremely applicable to nearly everything I learned in class,” said Kathi LaPoint, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s (WyFB) Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Collegiate Discussion Meet (CDM) national contestant. “Not only did I gain valuable communication skills, but I gained confidence in my ability to discuss issues and seek solutions while thinking on my feet.” Read Full Article
Farmers and Ranchers to Receive Direct Support for Losses Related to COVID-19 WASHINGTON, D.C., May 19, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on May 19 details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to this direct support to farmers and ranchers, USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program is partnering with regional and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service Read Full Article
In April, USDA announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). CFAP will provide direct support based on losses for agriculture producers where prices and market supply chains have been significantly impacted and will assist eligible producers facing additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term oversupply for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19. Read Full Article
New Eligibility for Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Advance: On May 4, 2020 the Small Business Administration began accepting new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance applications on a limited basis only to provide relief to U.S. agricultural businesses. SBA EIDL for Agricultural Businesses Read Full Article