Voices Heard: CFAP Money Will Reach Apple Growers After All
July 9, 2020 Apple growers across the country are celebrating a legislative victory today. USDA reversed its decision to exclude apple growers from its Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP funding). Apples will now be recognized at a payment rate of $0.05 per pound.
“Many apple growers are hanging on by their fingernails, so USDA’s decision is great news and not a moment too soon,” Jim Bair, the President and CEO of the U.S. Apple Association (USApple), said in a release. “Growers usually take the risks of weather and markets in stride, but the impact of COVID-19 pushed many right to the edge. We thank and congratulate USDA for this welcome news.”
Led by USApple, apple organizations across the nation on June 16 urged USDA to reconsider its growers for CFAP funding. The groups stressed that USDA’s analysis to determine apple prices and grower eligibility was flawed and did not match the reality of what is happening in the industry.
USApple submitted to USDA a letter of more than 30 pages, detailing actual sales data on more than 43 million bushels of apples, more than half of all the apples marketed in the three-month period set by USDA.
The various data sets showed price declines ranging from 6.5% to 24.9%. USDA, whose threshold for payment eligibility is a price decline of at least 5%, now agrees that the average price decline was 10.9%.
“The successful outcome was a team effort, with the overwhelming price data coming from USApple leaders and the Washington State Tree Fruit Association,” Bair said. “Those groups, plus Northwest Horticultural Council and state apple associations across the U.S., formed an effective coalition.”
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