WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for new grant programs - the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program - to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. These are the only USDA COVID-19 pandemic grant programs. USDA will accept application through September 29, 2021. USDA is also providing $10 million in matching funds for the PRS grant program and $500,000 for the Seafood program grant program.
USDA also is announcing it is making a one-time $10 million grant available to eligible agricultural producers and processors for additional assistance for their COVID-19 pandemic response needs. Specifically, the grant will be used for assistance that is available under the newly established PRS grant program. The program will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). To be eligible, producers and processors will need to have demonstrated a significant and sustained loss of income due to the impacts of COVID-19. Producers and processors who have recently or expect to soon apply for assistance under the newly established PRS grant program will be precluded from receiving this grant.
USDA is making a one-time $500,000 grant available to eligible seafood processors for assistance for their COVID-19 pandemic response needs. The grant will be administered by the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and should be used for assistance that is available under the newly established Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program. Producers will be eligible to apply for assistance under this grant if they have recently or expect to soon apply for assistance under the newly established Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program. Producers and processors who have recently or expect to soon apply for assistance under the newly established PRS grant program will be precluded from receiving this grant.
USDA is also providing resources for the COVID-19 Pandemic Response program. The program provides financial and technical assistance to eligible nonfederal entities, including agricultural producers and livestock and poultry processors, that are struggling to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pandemic Response program allows producers to access financial resources, as well as technical and regulatory assistance to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 in their operations.
As a USDA-supported program, these grants are designed to assist producers and processors who have recently or expect to soon apply for assistance under the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant and PRS grant programs.
USDA is making a one-time $1.5 billion grant available for the purchase of up to 2 million head of cattle for consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will be administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and will be limited to one grant per state. The state may submit up to four applications per state to purchase cattle. The maximum grant is limited to 2 million head.
The COVID-19 Rapid Response funding is intended to provide producers, ranchers, and farmers with the funding and support they need to respond to this unprecedented crisis. This will allow producers to address increased production and processing costs, increased livestock markets, and reduced marketing activity to continue delivering healthy and safe meat and poultry products to consumers.
0 Reviews: