Nick Bowman
As of June 29, 2020, the coronavirus has infected 8 million and contributed to 440,000 deaths worldwide; including 2.2 million cases and nearly 120,000 deaths in the United States.1 For more on the virus, see the SLC policy analyses, Unemployment in the SLC Region Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Spread of COVID-19 within Regions of the United States, Coronavirus Impacts on State Legislatures and Elections and Coronavirus Response at State Unemployment Agencies.
The agriculture sector has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus and accompanying quarantine policies. Many of the largest buyers of agricultural products—including restaurants, schools and hotels—have closed or operated at limited capacity for months due to the pandemic. With a supply chain built around these buyers, many farmers have been forced to destroy crops, dairy and dairy-related products, and livestock. Dairy farmers have been dumping millions of gallons of milk; chicken processors are destroying hundreds of thousands of eggs; and vegetable farmers are plowing acres of fields.2 Meanwhile, coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants have created a backlog of pigs to be slaughtered, forcing some farmers to euthanize tens of thousands of their pigs.3
On March 27, 2020, the U.S. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to stimulate the economy through $2 trillion in forgivable loans and direct cash payments. Recognizing the importance of agriculture, the CARES Act provides agriculture sector assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and other measures. Through CFAP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will administer up to $19 billion in support through two major components:
- $16 billion in direct financial assistance to farmers and ranchers, based on actual losses caused by the coronavirus; and
- $3 billion to purchase fresh produce, dairy and meat from farmers and ranchers affected by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service entities. These goods will be distributed to food banks, faith-based organizations and other non-profit organizations feeding Americans in need.4
As of June 29, 2020, USDA has processed $4,857,126,555 in CFAP payments to 319,544 producers across the nation. Table 1 displays the payments made, separated by the type of farm or ranch.5, † The subsequent tables (tables 2 through 5) separate this data by region. States in the South have fared well thus far, receiving $1,241,667,688 in payments to 157,395 producers, the second highest CFAP payment amount of the four regions of The Council of State Governments. In the South, the most awarded sector was livestock farms, with $864,837,413 in CFAP payments. Non-specialty farms were the second most awarded sector, with $242,548,163 in payments. Dairy farms and specialty farms received $89,942,790 and $44,339,323, respectively.
To date, the Midwest region has received the most compensation, with total CFAP payments of $2,632,339,720. The West and East have received $701,813,880 and $281,305,266, respectively.
Footnotes:
† Non-specialty commodities include malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, hard red spring wheat, and wool. Livestock includes cattle, hogs, and sheep (lambs and yearlings only). Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, nuts, and others (beans, mushrooms).
Table 1. Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments* (As of June 29, 2020)
| Non-Specialty | Specialty | Livestock | Dairy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. |
| Alabama | $12,796,136 | 1,003 | $481,273 | 14 | $39,688,939 | 8,127 | $649,219 | 22 |
| Alaska | $0 | 0 | $0 | 1 | $30,862 | 6 | $24,860 | 1 |
| American Samoa | $0 | 0 | $0 | 6 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Arizona | $2,552,120 | 156 | $4,751,920 | 28 | $5,835,861 | 330 | $6,867,674 | 34 |
| Arkansas | $15,978,142 | 2,286 | $1,181,550 | 37 | $55,646,462 | 9,229 | $717,418 | 36 |
| California | $3,326,601 | 454 | $43,806,509 | 1,419 | $44,546,039 | 2,159 | $140,655,620 | 759 |
| Colorado | $7,237,465 | 1,192 | $45,918 | 3 | $39,187,466 | 2,628 | $15,228,549 | 78 |
| Connecticut | $283,239 | 60 | $0 | 0 | $293,674 | 70 | $4,515,144 | 67 |
| Delaware | $1,194,263 | 133 | $0 | 0 | $49,182 | 29 | $462,459 | 8 |
| Florida | $1,921,095 | 206 | $30,335,808 | 194 | $23,433,665 | 2,323 | $6,692,505 | 35 |
| Georgia | $26,307,376 | 1,900 | $3,673,743 | 193 | $26,821,916 | 5,165 | $7,767,055 | 97 |
| Guam | $0 | 0 | $0 | 2 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Hawaii | $0 | 0 | $575,161 | 92 | $2,588,943 | 156 | $0 | 1 |
| Idaho | $1,946,629 | 487 | $2,482,542 | 75 | $41,818,210 | 2,501 | $45,851,317 | 257 |
| Illinois | $148,844,044 | 22,728 | $64,954 | 9 | $67,884,421 | 5,996 | $13,725,459 | 343 |
| Indiana | $68,885,626 | 8,597 | $306,171 | 11 | $40,807,382 | 3,812 | $14,798,030 | 271 |
| Iowa | $230,807,450 | 29,264 | $6,234 | 2 | $250,985,467 | 14,550 | $31,943,750 | 704 |
| Kansas | $55,915,190 | 10,950 | $47,869 | 18 | $180,824,768 | 14,648 | $6,808,147 | 156 |
| Kentucky | $21,733,806 | 2,817 | $90,783 | 19 | $75,833,235 | 15,184 | $8,166,328 | 237 |
| Louisiana | $6,302,082 | 567 | $614,656 | 19 | $13,266,068 | 3,087 | $1,185,423 | 57 |
| Maine | $410,504 | 103 | $22,515 | 6 | $663,233 | 203 | $6,659,344 | 164 |
| Maryland | $4,333,419 | 535 | $991 | 3 | $1,669,276 | 413 | $5,964,003 | 154 |
| Massachusetts | $257,414 | 115 | $3,328 | 3 | $731,190 | 207 | $2,248,868 | 77 |
| Michigan | $18,616,415 | 3,181 | $1,509,208 | 43 | $23,022,555 | 2,056 | $54,849,737 | 692 |
| Minnesota | $125,091,027 | 16,329 | $248,522 | 9 | $126,697,314 | 7,846 | $57,719,913 | 1,694 |
| Mississippi | $28,860,203 | 1,304 | $14,340 | 7 | $30,360,437 | 6,816 | $1,365,356 | 46 |
| Missouri | $48,568,639 | 8,363 | $80,710 | 23 | $127,839,011 | 18,219 | $5,697,310 | 313 |
| Montana | $3,946,784 | 1,655 | $633,461 | 4 | $67,969,316 | 4,592 | $1,677,206 | 28 |
| Nebraska | $136,768,647 | 15,464 | $2,366 | 1 | $201,941,391 | 11,791 | $6,626,502 | 108 |
| Nevada | $138,983 | 20 | $0 | 0 | $10,420,897 | 470 | $2,868,047 | 13 |
| New Hampshire | $168,896 | 46 | $0 | 0 | $209,478 | 81 | $2,568,113 | 65 |
| New Jersey | $604,503 | 90 | $27,222 | 6 | $192,065 | 56 | $869,216 | 28 |
| New Mexico | $846,864 | 102 | $5,335,364 | 106 | $25,466,598 | 1,535 | $16,015,446 | 64 |
| New York | $10,688,902 | 2,025 | $1,434,479 | 30 | $11,091,907 | 2,437 | $111,269,527 | 2,082 |
| North Carolina | $15,231,009 | 1,625 | $737,345 | 30 | $19,536,097 | 2,874 | $7,970,582 | 102 |
| North Dakota | $40,297,230 | 5,727 | $154,798 | 13 | $54,174,594 | 4,284 | $2,894,698 | 29 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | $0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 5 | $0 | 0 |
| Ohio | $31,427,812 | 5,701 | $269,504 | 4 | $30,485,456 | 3,407 | $29,333,742 | 674 |
| Oklahoma | $7,493,733 | 1,230 | $1,438,933 | 248 | $174,868,279 | 18,324 | $2,020,027 | 70 |
| Oregon | $322,671 | 122 | $1,709,252 | 81 | $25,262,856 | 1,554 | $13,531,340 | 126 |
| Pennsylvania | $10,842,082 | 2,667 | $2,114,615 | 30 | $16,229,873 | 2,829 | $59,777,557 | 1,799 |
| Puerto Rico | $5,158 | 1 | $212,814 | 41 | $310,302 | 40 | $5,162,720 | 200 |
| Rhode Island | $0 | 4 | $0 | 0 | $3,999 | 8 | $9,079 | 4 |
| South Carolina | $7,795,765 | 692 | $350,700 | 17 | $6,446,296 | 1,399 | $1,827,932 | 33 |
| South Dakota | $65,366,122 | 8,378 | $410 | 9 | $178,761,523 | 9,889 | $9,297,021 | 115 |
| Tennessee | $18,526,052 | 1,877 | $40,410 | 7 | $44,374,904 | 9,834 | $5,670,959 | 135 |
| Texas | $23,035,287 | 4,436 | $5,168,723 | 171 | $185,108,107 | 17,196 | $26,721,998 | 207 |
| Utah | $1,176,305 | 312 | $997,520 | 14 | $21,757,091 | 1,501 | $11,415,162 | 120 |
| Vermont | $581,932 | 158 | $0 | 1 | $996,305 | 314 | $16,140,732 | 315 |
| Virginia | $7,472,997 | 1,281 | $124,699 | 16 | $32,899,872 | 4,837 | $12,904,795 | 237 |
| Virgin Islands of The U.S. | $0 | 0 | $90 | 6 | $31,657 | 21 | $0 | 0 |
| Washington | $1,264,609 | 241 | $1,326,938 | 34 | $12,809,493 | 985 | $31,788,932 | 234 |
| West Virginia | $525,841 | 255 | $5,649 | 5 | $8,714,125 | 2,279 | $585,882 | 33 |
| Wisconsin | $49,803,063 | 9,221 | $326,398 | 10 | $49,643,093 | 8,199 | $224,355,698 | 4,501 |
| Wyoming | $841,115 | 241 | $0 | 0 | $32,046,127 | 1,815 | $885,236 | 8 |
| Total | $1,267,341,246 | 176,301 | $112,756,394 | 3,120 | $2,432,277,277 | 238,316 | $1,044,751,637 | 17,633 |
* Payments to individual states may not add up to the national total due to rounding.
Source: “Coronavirus Food Assistance Program,” June 29, 2020, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, https://www.farmers.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CFAP-PaymentReportData-06292020.pdf.
Table 2. Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments* to Southern States (As of June 29, 2020)
| Non-specialty | Specialty | Livestock | Dairy | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. |
| Alabama | $12,796,136 | 1,003 | $481,273 | 14 | $39,688,939 | 8,127 | $649,219 | 22 | $53,615,568 | 9,166 |
| Arkansas | $15,978,142 | 2,286 | $1,181,550 | 37 | $55,646,462 | 9,229 | $717,418 | 36 | $73,523,572 | 11,588 |
| Florida | $1,921,095 | 206 | $30,335,808 | 194 | $23,433,665 | 2,323 | $6,692,505 | 35 | $62,383,073 | 2,758 |
| Georgia | $26,307,376 | 1,900 | $3,673,743 | 193 | $26,821,916 | 5,165 | $7,767,055 | 97 | $64,570,089 | 7,355 |
| Kentucky | $21,733,806 | 2,817 | $90,783 | 19 | $75,833,235 | 15,184 | $8,166,328 | 237 | $105,824,151 | 18,257 |
| Louisiana | $6,302,082 | 567 | $614,656 | 19 | $13,266,068 | 3,087 | $1,185,423 | 57 | $21,368,230 | 3,730 |
| Mississippi | $28,860,203 | 1,304 | $14,340 | 7 | $30,360,437 | 6,816 | $1,365,356 | 46 | $60,600,336 | 8,173 |
| Missouri | $48,568,639 | 8,363 | $80,710 | 23 | $127,839,011 | 18,219 | $5,697,310 | 313 | $182,185,670 | 26,918 |
| North Carolina | $15,231,009 | 1,625 | $737,345 | 30 | $19,536,097 | 2,874 | $7,970,582 | 102 | $43,475,034 | 4,631 |
| Oklahoma | $7,493,733 | 1,230 | $1,438,933 | 248 | $174,868,279 | 18,324 | $2,020,027 | 70 | $185,820,972 | 19,872 |
| South Carolina | $7,795,765 | 692 | $350,700 | 17 | $6,446,296 | 1,399 | $1,827,932 | 33 | $16,420,693 | 2,141 |
| Tennessee | $18,526,052 | 1,877 | $40,410 | 7 | $44,374,904 | 9,834 | $5,670,959 | 135 | $68,612,325 | 11,853 |
| Texas | $23,035,287 | 4,436 | $5,168,723 | 171 | $185,108,107 | 17,196 | $26,721,998 | 207 | $240,034,116 | 22,010 |
| Virginia | $7,472,997 | 1,281 | $124,699 | 16 | $32,899,872 | 4,837 | $12,904,795 | 237 | $53,402,364 | 6,371 |
| West Virginia | $525,841 | 255 | $5,649 | 5 | $8,714,125 | 2,279 | $585,882 | 33 | $9,831,496 | 2,572 |
| Total | $242,548,163 | 29,842 | $44,339,323 | 1,000 | $864,837,413 | 124,893 | $89,942,790 | 1,660 | $1,241,667,688 | 157,395 |
* Payments to individual states may not add up to the regional total due to rounding. A single application from one farm or ranch may be counted in multiple categories, affecting totals.
Table 3. Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments* to Eastern States (As of June 29, 2020)
| Non-specialty | Specialty | Livestock | Dairy | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. |
| Connecticut | $283,239 | 60 | $0 | 0 | $293,674 | 70 | $4,515,144 | 67 | $5,092,058 | 197 |
| Delaware | $1,194,263 | 133 | $0 | 0 | $49,182 | 29 | $462,459 | 8 | $1,705,904 | 170 |
| Maine | $410,504 | 103 | $22,515 | 6 | $663,233 | 203 | $6,659,344 | 164 | $7,755,596 | 476 |
| Maryland | $4,333,419 | 535 | $991 | 3 | $1,669,276 | 413 | $5,964,003 | 154 | $11,967,689 | 1,105 |
| Massachusetts | $257,414 | 115 | $3,328 | 3 | $731,190 | 207 | $2,248,868 | 77 | $3,240,800 | 402 |
| New Hampshire | $168,896 | 46 | $0 | 0 | $209,478 | 81 | $2,568,113 | 65 | $2,946,487 | 192 |
| New Jersey | $604,503 | 90 | $27,222 | 6 | $192,065 | 56 | $869,216 | 28 | $1,693,005 | 180 |
| New York | $10,688,902 | 2,025 | $1,434,479 | 30 | $11,091,907 | 2,437 | $111,269,527 | 2,082 | $134,484,815 | 6,574 |
| Pennsylvania | $10,842,082 | 2,667 | $2,114,615 | 30 | $16,229,873 | 2,829 | $59,777,557 | 1,799 | $88,964,126 | 7,325 |
| Rhode Island | $0 | 4 | $0 | 0 | $3,999 | 8 | $9,079 | 4 | $13,078 | 16 |
| Vermont | $581,932 | 158 | $0 | 1 | $996,305 | 314 | $16,140,732 | 315 | $17,718,969 | 788 |
| Puerto Rico | $5,158 | 1 | $212,814 | 41 | $310,302 | 40 | $5,162,720 | 200 | $5,690,994 | 282 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $0 | 0 | $90 | 6 | $31,657 | 21 | $0 | 0 | $31,747 | 27 |
| Total | $29,370,311 | 5,937 | $3,816,054 | 126 | $32,472,141 | 6,708 | $215,646,761 | 4,963 | $281,305,266 | 17,734 |
* Payments to individual states may not add up to the regional total due to rounding. A single application from one farm or ranch may be counted in multiple categories, affecting totals.
Table 4. Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments* to Midwestern States (As of June 29, 2020)
| Non-specialty | Specialty | Livestock | Dairy | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. |
| Illinois | $148,844,044 | 22,728 | $64,954 | 9 | $67,884,421 | 5,996 | $13,725,459 | 343 | $230,518,878 | 29,076 |
| Indiana | $68,885,626 | 8,597 | $306,171 | 11 | $40,807,382 | 3,812 | $14,798,030 | 271 | $124,797,209 | 12,691 |
| Iowa | $230,807,450 | 29,264 | $6,234 | 2 | $250,985,467 | 14,550 | $31,943,750 | 704 | $513,742,902 | 44,520 |
| Kansas | $55,915,190 | 10,950 | $47,869 | 18 | $180,824,768 | 14,648 | $6,808,147 | 156 | $243,595,974 | 25,772 |
| Michigan | $18,616,415 | 3,181 | $1,509,208 | 43 | $23,022,555 | 2,056 | $54,849,737 | 692 | $97,997,914 | 5,972 |
| Minnesota | $125,091,027 | 16,329 | $248,522 | 9 | $126,697,314 | 7,846 | $57,719,913 | 1,694 | $309,756,776 | 25,878 |
| Nebraska | $136,768,647 | 15,464 | $2,366 | 1 | $201,941,391 | 11,791 | $6,626,502 | 108 | $345,338,906 | 27,364 |
| North Dakota | $40,297,230 | 5,727 | $154,798 | 13 | $54,174,594 | 4,284 | $2,894,698 | 29 | $97,521,320 | 10,053 |
| Ohio | $31,427,812 | 5,701 | $269,504 | 4 | $30,485,456 | 3,407 | $29,333,742 | 674 | $91,516,514 | 9,786 |
| South Dakota | $65,366,122 | 8,378 | $410 | 9 | $178,761,523 | 9,889 | $9,297,021 | 115 | $253,425,075 | 18,391 |
| Wisconsin | $49,803,063 | 9,221 | $326,398 | 10 | $49,643,093 | 8,199 | $224,355,698 | 4,501 | $324,128,251 | 21,931 |
| Total | $971,822,626 | 135,540 | $2,936,433 | 129 | $1,205,227,963 | 86,478 | $452,352,697 | 9,287 | $2,632,339,720 | 231,434 |
* Payments to individual states may not add up to the regional total due to rounding. A single application from one farm or ranch may be counted in multiple categories, affecting totals.
Table 5. Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments* to Western States (As of June 29, 2020)
| Non-specialty | Specialty | Livestock | Dairy | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. | Payments | Apps. |
| Alaska | $0 | 0 | $0 | 1 | $30,862 | 6 | $24,860 | 1 | $55,722 | 8 |
| Arizona | $2,552,120 | 156 | $4,751,920 | 28 | $5,835,861 | 330 | $6,867,674 | 34 | $20,007,576 | 548 |
| California | $3,326,601 | 454 | $43,806,509 | 1,419 | $44,546,039 | 2,159 | $140,655,620 | 759 | $232,334,769 | 4,791 |
| Colorado | $7,237,465 | 1,192 | $45,918 | 3 | $39,187,466 | 2,628 | $15,228,549 | 78 | $61,699,399 | 3,901 |
| Hawaii | $0 | 0 | $575,161 | 92 | $2,588,943 | 156 | $0 | 1 | $3,164,105 | 249 |
| Idaho | $1,946,629 | 487 | $2,482,542 | 75 | $41,818,210 | 2,501 | $45,851,317 | 257 | $92,098,697 | 3,320 |
| Montana | $3,946,784 | 1,655 | $633,461 | 4 | $67,969,316 | 4,592 | $1,677,206 | 28 | $74,226,767 | 6,279 |
| Nevada | $138,983 | 20 | $0 | 0 | $10,420,897 | 470 | $2,868,047 | 13 | $13,427,927 | 503 |
| New Mexico | $846,864 | 102 | $5,335,364 | 106 | $25,466,598 | 1,535 | $16,015,446 | 64 | $47,664,272 | 1,807 |
| Oregon | $322,671 | 122 | $1,709,252 | 81 | $25,262,856 | 1,554 | $13,531,340 | 126 | $40,826,119 | 1,883 |
| Utah | $1,176,305 | 312 | $997,520 | 14 | $21,757,091 | 1,501 | $11,415,162 | 120 | $35,346,077 | 1,947 |
| Washington | $1,264,609 | 241 | $1,326,938 | 34 | $12,809,493 | 985 | $31,788,932 | 234 | $47,189,972 | 1,494 |
| Wyoming | $841,115 | 241 | $0 | 0 | $32,046,127 | 1,815 | $885,236 | 8 | $33,772,478 | 2,064 |
| America Samoa | $0 | 0 | $0 | 6 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 6 |
| Guam | $0 | 0 | $0 | 2 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 2 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | $0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 5 | $0 | 0 | $0 | 5 |
| Total | $23,600,147 | 4,982 | $61,664,584 | 1,865 | $329,739,761 | 20,237 | $286,809,389 | 1,723 | $701,813,880 | 28,807 |
* Payments to individual states may not add up to the regional total due to rounding. A single application from one farm or ranch may be counted in multiple categories, affecting totals.
References:
1 “Coronavirus (COVID-19),” June 29, 2020, Google News, https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en.
2 David Yaffe-Bellany and Michael Corkery, “Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic,” April 11, 2020, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html.
3 Michael Corkery and David Yaffe-Bellany, “Meat Plant Closures Means Pigs Are Gassed or Shot Instead,” May 14, 2020, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/business/coronavirus-farmers-killing-pigs.html.
4 “USDA Announces Coronavirus Food Assistance Program,” April 17, 2020, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/04/17/usda-announces-coronavirus-food-assistance-program.
5 “Coronavirus Food Assistance Program,” June 29, 2020, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, https://www.farmers.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CFAP-PaymentReportData-06292020.pdf.