The Kentucky State University (KSU) Small Farm Program is an Extension program designed to help farm families with decision-making skills to solve farm and home problems. It includes educational programs that emphasize farm production, farm management, and marketing.  It also includes the use and understanding of local county programs and USDA agencies and their programs, plus providing technical assistance in completing applications for the program and the entire application process.  The KSU Small Farm Program’s Area Agent for Small Farms works with small, limited-resource, and minority farmers, most of whom have not used Extension prior to his intervention.  He targets minority farmers, farmers who are new to Extension, or farmers who think that Extension is not for them.  First he has to gain their confidence.  Then he has to show them that he can help them to meet some of their needs. 

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program on April 17, 2020.  On Tuesday, May 19, 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the final details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), and that applications for direct assistance through the program would be accepted beginning Tuesday, May 26, 2020.  CFAP would provide up to $16 billion in direct financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19, and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

The first round of CFAP had an application period of May 26 through September 11.  It was then followed by the second round which started on September 17, 2020.

President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on September 17 that USDA would implement an expansion of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, called Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2, CFAP 2, which would provide producers with financial assistance that gave them the ability to absorb some of the increased marketing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  The sign-up period for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 ran from September 17 through December 11, 2020.

This is the Area Agent’s experience with farm families that received the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program One and Two, with the help of his technical assistance information. 

On May 22nd and 29^th, 2020 I emailed two newsletters with information about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (one).  After emailing the information to the farmers, I followed up with phone calls to check to see if farmers needed any assistance with completing the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program application. During the period of May 22^ndthrough June 30, 2020, I notified farmers in Anderson, Franklin, Henry, Boyle, Garrard, Jessamine, Mercer, Madison, Lincoln and Clark Counties to see if they were aware of the program and had signed-up for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (one).

On August 14^th, September 25^th and November 20, 2020. I emailed newsletters with information about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Two.   After emailing the information to farmers, I followed up with phone calls to check to see if the farmers needed any assistance with completing the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program application. Between the period May 22^nd and December 11, 2020, I notified farmers in Anderson, Franklin, Henry, Boyle, Garrard, Jessamine, Mercer, Madison, Lincoln and Clark Counties to see if they were aware and had signup for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program2 One and Two.

As a result of providing this information to farmers about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Programs One and Two, it has benefited limited resource minority small farmers in providing direct relief to producers who have suffered losses during the 2020 marketing year due to COVID-19.   A total of nine limited resource minority farmers have received an estimate of $ 3000 dollars each for a grand total of $ 27,000 dollars.