Just Launched! Check Out the Franklin County Food Business Portal
CDFA is excited to share the launch of the Franklin County Food Business Portal, created in partnership with CDFA! Check out this model that provides entrepreneurs and business owners with the information needed to plan, launch, and grow a food business in Franklin County. This includes any business on the food supply chain, such as farms, aggregation, processing, distribution, restaurants, food trucks, grocery stores, and composting operations.
President Signs Bill to Ease Guidelines on PPP Loans
President Trump signed a bill to give recipients of government small business loans during the coronavirus more flexibility in how they spend the money. The measure eases the conditions small businesses have to meet to get the Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven, as some struggled to meet key thresholds during the pandemic.
Farming Support to States Act Responds to Unmet Need of Agriculture
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) along with Representatives Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced the Farming Support to States Act, to provide state departments of agriculture with access to immediate, flexible funding to aid in responding to urgent and emerging issues in the food and agriculture supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent Crises Add to Struggles for Black-Owned Restaurants
Stephanie Hart has owned and operated her Brown Sugar Bakery in Chicago's Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side for 16 years. Her thoughts on the PPP aid, though, are emblematic of the struggles faced by many black-owned restaurants today. Difficulty accessing capital is just one of the factors that put these restaurants at a disadvantage compared to their white-owned counterparts.
USDA Implements Immediate Measures to Help Rural Residents, Businesses, Communities
USDA Rural Development has taken several immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses, and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Rural Development will keep its customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated as more actions are taken to better serve rural America.
One-Third of Small Independent Farms Could Go Bankrupt Due to COVID-19
Close to one-third of self-described small independent farmers could go bankrupt this year as a result of COVID-19 severely limiting their sales. More than 35% of farmers experienced an average drop in revenue of over 51% in March and April, compared to the same period the previous year, due to a lack of sales to restaurants and at farmers' markets. And farmers suffering as a result of COVID-19 have cut payroll, taken on new debt, postponed bill payments, sold off capital, and reduced employee benefits in order to make ends meet.
USDA Now Accepting Applications for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
You can now apply for USDA's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to farmers and ranchers to offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion for vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5% or greater price decline due to COVID-19.
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