COVID-19 Daily Farmers Update 04/06/2020

Find this article at:
go.ncsu.edu/readext?672093

— Written By Mark Hoffmann

COVID-19 Daily Farmers Update 04/06/2020

News today:

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) extended its application deadline to April 15th. See more info.
“On-farm Produce Safety for Small Growers in the Age of COVID-19”: Free, online webinar hosted by Michigan State University Extension (4/9/2020 @ 12 p.m. ET).
Weekly webinar for Farmers Market Managers to discuss best practices under COVID-19 conditions
“Farmworkers and Coronavirus: What you should know, and what you can do now”: Free, online webinar hosted by the Cornell Farmworkers Program (4/7/2020 @ 12 – 1 p.m.). Register online.
Get your farm on the North Carolina map of farms offering pick-ups, curbside stands, and more.
The March 2020 average food price index was down 7.8 points compared to April 2020 but 4.6 points higher compared to March 2019.

Worker and Food Safety:

PPE Guidance for Farms (English and Spanish)
The FDA has a new page entitled “Food Safety and the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).”
Governor Cooper keeps U-Pick operations open
How to set up a strawberry U-Pick during the COVID-19 pandemic
USDA excel sheet to assess farmers’ needs for PPE: Send to foodsupplychain@usda.gov. Questions to: tutorr@ecu.edu
The NCDA launched an agriculture assistance hotline on April 2. Please call: 1-866-747-9823

Webinars:

Register now for a free webinar on creating a free online store for your farm. Apr 9, 7-9 p.m.
Cleaning and Sanitizing workshop for small produce farmers (recorded, online workshop)

Paycheck Protection Program

Other Funding Resources:

North Carolina COVID-19 Rapid Recovery for Small Business
Golden LEAF Rapid Recovery Loans
RAFI-USA will be offering emergency mini-grants for farmers. Please sign up now.
The American Farmland Trust’s Farmer Relief Fund
Facebook it offering Small Business Grants

Daily COVID-19 Updates as of 4/6/2020:

North Carolina (11:00 a.m.): 2,870 positive/ 33 people dead
USA: (7:28 p.m.): 366,614 positive/10,783 people dead
World (7:28 p.m.): 1,345,048 positive/ 74,565 people dead

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