b'People, Product NewsUSDA will implement an expansion Officer.TheNationalPotato duced specialty crop in the country,of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Council is pleased that this simpli- manyimpactedpotatogrowersProgram. fied CFAP 2.0 recognizes the ongo- couldnotparticipateinUSDAsing financial challenges felt by fam- relief efforts due to challenges withWere pleased to see USDA has lis- ily farmers and offers an opportuni- the original CFAPs structure. Thesetenedtothefeedbackofpotato tyforreliefforimpactedpotato impediments included losses occur-growersandcreatedasimplified growers. ring beyond April 15 being ineligi-programthatreflectsthetrue bleforrelief,inadequatepaymentimpactthatgovernment-mandated The U.S. potato industry comprises rates for certain potatoes, many offoodservicedisruptionshavehad approximately$4.5billioninsales whichwerevastlybelowthoseofon our industry, said NPC President annually and supports thousands of comparablecommodities,andandIdahopotatogrower,Britt directandindirectjobs.Although ambiguous eligibility for contractedRaybould. Given the serious, long- potatoesarethemostwidelypro- potato acres.termfinancialharmfeltbymanyfamilyfarmers,wehopethemorestraight-forward nature of CFAP 2ssales-basedmodelwillremovethehurdlesforparticipationandpro-videmoreadequatereliefforAmericas potato growers.The program is in parallel with theprevious CFAP, which had a partici-pantsignupdeadlineofSept.11,2020.Theoriginalprogramwasbased upon nationwide commodityprice declines from Jan. 1 throughMarch 15, 2020. The potato indus-try estimates that more than 70 per-cent of the potato industry has beendirectlyimpactedbythegovern-ment-mandatedshutdownsandfood service restrictions, with muchofthefinancialimpactoccurringwell after CFAPs March 15 deadline. We want to thank USDA for takingthis additional step toward relief forthemembersofourindustrywhohaveexperiencedsignificanteco-nomic hardships in 2020, said KamQuarles,NPCChiefExecutiveNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 POTATO GROWER 29'