The Iowa Organic Association (IOA) will be delivering a webinar on Monday, October 26th, from 12 - 12:30pm CST about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP2).

Katie Kramer, the Agriculture Program Specialist with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Iowa, will be discussing CFAP2, eligibility for reimbursement, how to apply, as well as any questions you may have about the program and process.

Are you a farmer whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? USDA is implementing CFAP2 for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.

CFAP2 payments are available to farmers to partially compensate for losses incurred between April 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020 (or from April 16th for livestock) where prices, markets, and supply chains have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This new round of funding expands the time frame of losses covered (CFAP1 was only for mid-January through mid-April).

Additional commodities are eligible in CFAP2 that weren’t earmarked in the first CFAP distribution. If your agricultural operation has been impacted by the pandemic since April 2020, we encourage you to apply for CFAP2 and participate in this webinar to learn more about the program. A complete list of eligible commodities, payment rates and calculations can be found on farmers.gov/cfap.

The deadline to apply for this program is December 11, 2020, or until funds run out.

You must RSVP to join this webinar, there is no cost to participate. Register below or click here.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that organic producers and handlers can apply for federal funds to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic certification through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Applications for eligible certification expenses paid between Oct. 1, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2020, are due Oct. 31, 2020.

Certified producers and handlers are now eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope. This is a reduction from 2018 Farm Bill commitments of 75 percent of their eligible costs, up to $750 per scope. Additional fund may be available at a later date – you must have an application on file by Oct 31 to be eligible to any additional funding support.

Contact your FSA county office to file a cost-share application for organic certification.

Farm Leasing 101 webinar presented by Liberty Prairie Foundation is scheduled for Thursday, November 5th from 10 - 11:30am CST.

The webinar will be an interactive and in-depth online workshop where you will gain tools, knowledge, and skills that will help you create a strong, practical lease and use it effectively. The webinar will include pre-work, an instructional video to watch in advance, and a handout explaining Illinois leasing law as well as other resources (information can be applicable to other states). 

The workshop will be presented by Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons, a non-profit that focuses on providing legal education for farmers and others in the farming community.

Link to register: https://libertyprairiefoundation.salsalabs.org/FarmLeasing101/index.html