WESTFORD, Vt.—Details are coming in on the maple portion of the $16 billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19.

The program was expanded last week to include what the USDA has classified in their wording as “maple sap (for maple syrup).”

Farmers will have until Sept. 11 to apply for the funding.

On Friday Vermont’s USDA contact Wendy Wilton held an online meeting with the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association to clarify details of the program, said VMSMA executive director Allison Hope. 

Maple has received eligibility in three categories: 

—five percent or greater market decline 

—produce shipped but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing channel 

—shipments that did not leave the farm/crops that went unharvested. 

The losses are only for the period of January 15 through April 15, Hope said. 

While documentation of a 5 percent decline in sales is not required for submission, producers must provide supporting documentation that the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service will use to substantiate claims on a case-by-case basis, Hope said. 

There are three different payment rates, one for each eligibility category. 

“Familiarize yourself with the categories and the payment rates,” Hope said. 

Losses of maple syrup are eligible but will need to be converted into maple sap gallons. The USDA is using a 40 to 1 conversation rate. 

“If you are able to document that your conversation rate should be greater than 40 to 1 gather that documentation to share as part of your application and it may be considered,” Hope said. 

For sales losses, the payment rate for maple is $0.07 per gallon of sap. 

For product that left the farm but spoiled due to loss of marketing channel the rate is $0.20 per gallon of sap. 

For crop shipments that did not leave the farm by April 15, were donated, or mature crops that were unharvested by that date due to lack of buyers and which have not been and will not be sold, the payment rate for maple is $30.49/acre, Hope said. 

“The USDA is working on creating a conversion for taps to acres for this payment rate and we’ll let you know when we have more details about that,” Hope said. 

More information can be found on the USDA’s website and watch the webinar on “Newly Eligible Commodities and Program Adjustments” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur6a9Za2jyg&feature=youtu.be

Hope said producers should gather documentation and start the application online immediately.

She recommended that producers connect with a local USDA Service Center rep. 

Meanwhile, in New York State, FSA offices there seemed to be less familiar with details about the program.

“If you called your FSA county office, you probably discovered they were not yet familiar with the details of the program so couldn't tell you whether you were eligible to apply,” said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Associaton.  

“I have been working with the state FSA offices cooperatively to get a clear definition.”

Additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability and Final Rule Correction and at www.farmers.gov/cfap.

“The limited dates of the program are disappointing,” Thomas said.