Ag producers have until May 17 to certify 2018 crop and livestock production for Market Facilitation Program payments.

April 30, 2019

2 Min Read
USDA extends certification deadline for trade aid

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced April 29 that it would extend the deadline from May 1 to May 17 for agricultural producers to certify 2018 crop production for payments through the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), which helps producers who have been significantly affected by foreign tariffs that are resulting in the loss of traditional exports.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) extended the deadline because heavy rainfall and snowfall have delayed harvests in many parts of the country, preventing producers from certifying acres.

The Trump Administration, under the direction of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, launched the trade mitigation program to assist farmers suffering damage because of unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. FSA implemented MFP in September 2018 as a relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on “free, fair and reciprocal trade deals” to open more markets and help American farmers compete globally.

MFP was established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corp. Charter Act and is administered by FSA.

Payments will be issued only if eligible producers certify before the updated May 17 deadline. To date, more than $8.3 billion have been paid to nearly 600,000 applicants.

Related:Farmer trade aid signup ends Feb. 14

MFP provides payments to producers of corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, dairy, hogs, fresh sweet cherries and shelled almonds. FSA will issue payments based on a producer’s certified total production of the MFP commodity multiplied by the MFP rate for that specific commodity.

“Trade issues, coupled with low commodity prices and recovery from natural disasters, have definitely impacted the bottom line for many agricultural producers,” FSA administrator Richard Fordyce said. “The MFP payments provide short-term relief from retaliatory tariffs to supplement the traditional farm safety net, helping agricultural producers through these difficult times. Weather conditions this fall, winter and early spring have blocked many producers from completing harvest of their crops, and we want to make sure producers who want to finalize their MFP application have an opportunity.”

Producers can certify production by contacting their local FSA office or through farmers.gov.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Feedstuffs is the news source for animal agriculture

You May Also Like