Federal Rural Assistance for Those Affected by COVID-19
By Shelley Swearingen – April 13, 2020
The USDA has provided information for rural communities affected by COVID-19. There are resources available to assist residents and businesses. These programs provide financial, state, and local assistance as well as technical, training, and management assistance.
Here’s some of the resources that may be of interest to local farmers:
- USDA Farm Service Agency: microloan programs
- SBA paycheck protection programs
- COVID-19 economic injury disaster loans
- National health emergency dislocated worker grants
- Guidance on how to plan & respond
- Farmland loan discovery tool
For farmers with smaller operations, the tiniest hiccup in operations can have exponential consequences. The loss of workers could halt operations, for example. For farmers that are just starting out or have these smaller operations, these programs could be the lending hand needed in these trying times. “The focus of Microloans is on the financing needs of small, beginning farmer, niche and non-traditional farm operations…” https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/microloans/index
At Geswein Farm & Land, we understand how this pandemic is changing the figurative landscape of the agriculture, farming and ranch industry. We’ve been advising landowners for over forty years, and we’ve seen many social & economic struggles come and go. We’re all in this together, and we’re here to support our communities.
The full list of programs can be found here: https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/USDA_COVID-19_Fed_Rural_Resource_Guide.pdf
