Contract poultry growers have until Oct. 12 to sign up for aid under the second Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP2.)
John Anderson, economist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, said up to $1 billion has been allocated through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to provide CFAP2 payments to contract growers.
The pandemic was extremely disruptive to the poultry sector, Anderson said in a news release.
“As covid-related illness and/or quarantines disrupted labor, processing operations slowed, as did movement of inputs and product along the entire supply chain,” he said. “For growers, the effect of this situation was, in many cases, a reduction in birds delivered and, as a result, lower revenue. The impacts on individual grower operations were potentially severe.”
The expanded eligibility for CFAP2 includes not only contract broiler growers, but also contract growers of other poultry such as pullets, layers, eggs, turkeys, ducks, geese, and pheasants and quail. It also includes contract growers of hogs and pigs.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Growers can sign up by completing a CFAP2 application at their local Farm Service Agency office. Find a local office online at farmers.gov/service-locator.
The inclusion of contract growers was unprecedented, Anderson said.
“This announcement represents the culmination of several months of work by USDA to redefine program eligibility requirements to include contract growers,” he said.
Contract growers haven’t “historically been directly eligible for most forms of federal assistance because they do not own the animals they raise.”
USDA announced eligibility for contract growers on Aug. 24. Anderson’s full report is available at https://bit.ly/3mIRSpB.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.