AMES, Iowa—Financial help is available for producers impacted by the price declines and additional marketing costs associated with COVID-19.

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, a federal program offered through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, is accepting applications for funding from livestock and crop farmers.

To help explain how the program works, a pair of specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and specialists with the Farm Service Agency in Iowa will hold a public webinar May 29, from 11 a.m. to noon.

The webinar will walk producers through the details and definitions that are key to this program, and will help equip them for the application process. The presenters will also answer common questions. There is no fee, but participants must register in advance.

Of the $16 billion available, $9.6 billion is set aside for the livestock industry ($5.1 billion for cattle, $2.9 billion for dairy, and $1.6 billion for hogs). There is $3.9 billion for row crop producers, $2.1 billion for specialty crop producers, and $500 million for other crops.

To qualify for a payment, a commodity must have declined in price by at least 5% between January and April 2020. Other requirements and payment information will be discussed during the webinar.

Speakers will include Chad Hart, professor and extension grain markets specialist with Iowa State University; Kristine Tidgren, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University, and holder of the Leonard Dolezal Professorship in Agricultural Law; and Katie Kramer and Justin Muir, agricultural program specialists with the Farm Service Agency in Iowa.

The program will be recorded and made available for replay on the Ag Decision Maker and the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation websites.

For more information, contact the webinar presenters. Hart can be reached at 515-294-9911, or chart@iastate.edu. Tidgren can be reached at 515-294-6365, or ktidgren@iastate.edu.

(contributed press release, ISU Extension and Outreach)