Time is running out for floriculture growers affected by COVID to apply for the current round of USDA aid through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Applications are due Sept. 11.

Last month, in a major win for the industry’s flower growers — and the retailers, wholesalers and suppliers who depend on them — the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new guidelines making nursery crop and cut flower farms eligible for financial aid from CFAP. The news marked the first time USDA has ever provided such direct assistance to the floral industry and is a direct result of a robust advocacy campaign initiated this spring in Washington, D.C., led by the Society of American Florists and a coalition of other industry trade associations.

CFAP payments for nursery crops and cut flowers will be based on a percentage of the producer’s wholesale value of inventory. Payments will be the sum of CARES Act payments and CCC payments as follows:

1. CARES Act Payments: For nursery crop and cut flower inventory that was shipped but subsequently spoiled or is unpaid due to loss of marketing channels between January 15, 2020, and April 15, 2020, the wholesale value of the inventory that was shipped that spoiled or is unpaid, multiplied by 15.55 percent; and
2. CCC Payments: For nursery crop and cut flower inventory that did not leave the farm between January 15, 2020, and April 15, 2020, due to a complete loss of marketing channel, the wholesale value of the inventory ready for sale that did not leave the farm by April 15, 2020, and that will not be sold due to lack of markets, multiplied by 13.45 percent.

Nursery crop and cut flower inventory that may be sold after April 15, 2020, is not eligible for CFAP.

Farm Service Agency staff at local USDA Service Centers will work with producers to file CFAP applications.  Visit farmers.gov/cfap for additional information on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, other eligible commodities, CFAP eligibility, payment limitations and structure, and how to apply.

As the industry continues to feel the economic impact of COVID, SAF will continue to advocate for federal aid for all segments of the industry, including for growers through CFAP 2.0 as it progresses in Congress and the USDA.

Katie Butler is the senior vice president of the Society of American Florists.