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STAFF REPORT

The USDA has announced its Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP) which will assist eligible producers of agricultural commodities (including livestock) who experienced revenue decreases in calendar year 2020 compared to 2018 or 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PARP will help address gaps in previous pandemic assistance, which was targeted at price loss or lack of market access, rather than overall revenue losses.

USDA Farm Service Agency will accept PARP applications now through June 2, 2023.

For PARP, eligible agricultural commodities include crops, aquaculture, livestock, livestock byproducts or other animals or animal byproducts that are produced as part of a farming operation and are intended to be commercially marketed.

Commodities that are not eligible for PARP include timber; horses intended to be used for racing or wagering; aquatic species that do not meet the definition of aquaculture; and cannabis sativa L and any part of that plant that does not meet the definition of hemp.

To be eligible for PARP, an agricultural producer must have been in the business of farming during at least part of the 2020 calendar year and must have experienced a 15 percent decrease in allowable gross revenue in 2020 as compared to either the 2018 or 2019 calendar year. Eligibility also depends on whether farmers received allowable gross revenue during the 2018 or 2019 calendar years, or the producer’s expected 2020 calendar year allowable gross revenue, if the producer had no allowable gross revenue in 2018 or 2019.

Payments previously earned under CFAP (Coronavirus Food Assistance Program) and any Conservation payments will be deducted at the end of each applicant’s payment calculation process. Eligible PARP payments will be issued after the application period ends on June 2, 2023.

For more information on the PARP program, log onto: farmers.gov/coronavirus/pandemic-assistance/parp or review the USDA PARP fact sheet.

To apply for PARP, contact or visit the Claiborne-Union County FSA Office by calling 423-626-3811 or drop by 2178 Highway 25E, Tazewell. The agents can better assist you in determining “allowable gross revenue” for PARP if you bring your 2018, 2019, and 2020 Schedule F income tax forms to your office visit before the June 2, 2023 deadline.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.