Nearly all sectors of agriculture have been impacted by market disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 24 of this year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) dedicated $6 billion towards programs and efforts to provide financial assistance for agriculture producers including nursery, greenhouse, cacti, and Christmas tree producers negatively impacted in 2020 by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative is intended to reach more producers than previous COVID-19 aid programs - including small and socially disadvantaged, specialty crop, and organic producers. The pandemic assistance initiative includes numerous programs (see the website for all details).
The USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers program is administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). Many
producers involved in the ornamental industry rarely deal with FSA programs and most have not visited or been in contact with their nearest FSA office. I encourage each of you to contact your local FSA office today and schedule an appointment. You can find your local FSA office here.
Read the complete article at www.e-gro.org.