By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
Farmers now have until May 17 to certify crop production for payments through the Market Facilitation Program (MFP).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) extended the deadline due to heavy rainfall and snowfall that delayed harvest in several areas throughout the U.S., preventing farmers from certifying production.
MFP payments are intended to help farmers and ranchers who have been significantly affect by foreign tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. To date, more than $8.3 billion has been paid to nearly 600,000 applicants.
Payments are issued based on certified total production of the MFP commodity multiplied by the MFP rate for that specific commodity. MFP commodities include corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, dairy, hogs, fresh sweet cherries and shelled almonds.
FSA will only issue payments to eligible farmers and ranchers who certify before the new May 17 deadline.
“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.”
Certification can be done by contacting your local FSA office or through farmers.gov.
FSA implemented MFP in September 2018 as a relief strategy to protect farmers while the administration works on free, fair and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets to help American farmers compete globally.