STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept applications for assistance from agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.

Sign-up for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 -- CFAP 2 -- begins Sept. 21 and runs through Dec. 11, 2020. The program is open to producers of row crops, livestock, aquaculture, dairy and specialty crop commodities.

Josh Maples, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said CFAP 2 is an expansion of the original CFAP program announced in May. It will provide producers with financial assistance to offset increased marketing costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

To help Mississippi’s agricultural producers navigate the new program, Josh Maples and Extension agricultural economist Will Maples created Publication 3531, “Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for Row Crops, Livestock, Dairy and Aquaculture.” The publication explains the application process, payment rates for each commodity, and eligibility and payment limitations.

The publication is online at https://bit.ly/33QpEyf. The USDA application and CFAP 2 program information can be found at https://www.farmers.gov/cfap.