Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the opening of the application for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (22007) for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. This program is open to ALL farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination for any reason, including veteran farmers.
Resources for the program can be found on the FVC website at https://farmvetco.org/dfap-22007/ The webpage will include resources such as a link to apply via the program website, as well as contact information for technical assistance. Applicants can also submit paper-based forms via mail or in-person delivery to the program’s local offices.
The application process is open from July 7 to October 31, 2023. Applications will be reviewed in November and December, with payments being sent to recipients soon thereafter. The application is NOT on a first come, first served basis.
Along with this program, FVC will be conducting podcasts and webinars to provide more information that will help our members get through the application process and to better understand the program.
Our first podcast on this topic is available to be listened to here:
https://agdconsult.com/podcast/50-monica-rainge-jeanette-lombardo-usda-and-farmer-veteran-coalition/
We will also be hosting a webinar next week, July 14 at 11am CST discussing precedent for the USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (22007) and how producers may be impacted. We will also be providing an in-depth review of the application process.
To register for the webinar, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Vqu7YlSvQzmz2IFJ-8VQKQ
