USDA Market Facilitation Program Deadline Approaches
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The Farm Service Agency (FSA) wants to remind producers of certain commodities about the USDA Market Facilitation Program (MFP) deadline of January 15, 2019. The MFP will assist agricultural producers to meet some of the costs of disrupted markets by offering partial compensation to farmers and share-rent landowners for losses occurring because of trade disputes.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced in late September the addition of commodities to the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.
President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally.
From that direction, the MFP was developed. This program provides direct payments to help corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean, wheat, dairy, hog, shelled almonds and fresh sweet cherry producers who have been directly impacted by retaliatory tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports.
Administered by the local FSA office, the MFP sign-up is a “one-time” event. Producers must apply for MFP, signing and submitting form CCC-910 by close of business on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. Applicants should be sure to include all production from all farms, from all counties, and from all states on one MFP application. Eligible producers are directed to follow-up after harvest is complete, as MFP payments will only be issued once production is reported. Production reports must be received by May 1, 2019.
Blaine County applicants can complete form CCC-910 in-person at the FSA office in Chinook, or the form can be printed out, completed, signed, and then faxed to 855-546-0388, emailed to Tracy.Harshman@mt.usda.gov or mailed to Blaine County Farm Service Agency; PO Box 307; Chinook, MT 59523. The Blaine County MFP applications are available online at www. farmers.gov/MFP.
According to FSA State Executive Director Mike Foster, “As of early December, we have distributed $8.2 million in MFP payments in Montana. Of that, $7,468,490 was issued for commodity crops, $688,642 hogs and $60,573 for sweet cherries. I strongly encourage producers to visit their local FSA office to learn more about this important program.”
Any producer with questions is encouraged to call Tracy Harshman, Blaine County Executive Director, at (406) 357-2320, ext. 110. Harshman said, “We still have some wheat producers who have not signed up.”
