Summer is nearly here! Your staff here at the Farmer Veteran Coalition head office in Waco, TX have been humming like a hive of worker bees developing national programs for our membership at large, as well as our state chapters. Here are a few updates for you.
ERP 2 UPDATE
The ERP Phase Two deadline has been extended to July 14, 2023, from June 2, 2023. There is still time for those agricultural producers to offset the impact of natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. If you need help in applying for ERP2, please do not hesitate to call the FVC call center at 855-FVC-FARM.
DISCRIMINATION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM-22007
Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act directs USDA to provide financial assistance to producers who have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs. The 22007 program gives USDA the ability to provide financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, or forest landowners determined to have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs prior to January 1, 2021.
Through supplemental funds, the USDA is supporting existing 1006 Technical Assistance Cooperators that have an active cooperative agreement with NIFA to conduct targeted outreach (Veterans) and technical assistance for the “Discrimination Financial Assistance Program” application process.
Currently the application is under legal review in DC. When the application becomes available, FVC will provide further information as it is provided regarding the process and fulfillment. Additionally, the Farmer Veteran Coalition will be hosting a podcast before the end of June with Monica Armster Rainge, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the USDA. Rainge is an agricultural lawyer and mediator who has worked in the public and private sectors for more than 25 years. In this podcast the Deputy Assistant Secretary will provide some insight on the program, how the application process is structured, as well as caution to producers on how to avoid scams related to USDA Financial Assistance. Stay tuned for date and time – coming shortly.
STATE CHAPTER VISITS
Before the end of the year FVC is anticipating having 30 chapters helping our Veterans across the country. I am looking forward to starting chapter visits in July through the end of the year. If your chapter is holding an annual meeting, function, or workshop please let me know so that I can join you. I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s local projects. Email me at jeanette@farmvetco.org.
