Georgia State Office

AMS Pandemic Response Safety Grant (PRS) Program

The PRS program provides food processors, distributors, farmers markets, and producers
with grants to provide measures that protect workers against COVID-19. The program is
authorized and funded under section 751 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021
(Pub. L. No. 116-260). Information on the program and application instructions are available
at https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov.

Grant funding may range from $1,500 to $20,000 for eligible small businesses and nonprofits
with a 501C3 IRS status. Eligible applicants are required to have a Dun & Bradstreet
number or DUNS (Data Universal Numbers System) before applying for the grant. A DUNS
number is a unique 9-character number used to identify organizations and is the first step in
applying for the PRS program. Dedicated support is available from Dun & Bradstreet at
https://www.dnb.com/pandemicresponse.

USDA is targeting support to small specialty crop producers, food processors, food
manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and farmers markets.

The application period for the PRS program opens on Thursday, September 23, 2021,and
closes on Monday, November 8, 2021.

USDA Service Centers Taking Precautionary Measures to Help Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus

USDA Service Centers Open for Business by Phone Appointment Only

U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Centers are encouraging visitors to take proactive protective measures to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

USDA Service Centers in Georgia will continue to be open for business by phone appointment only and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While our program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with our producers by phone, and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. In the event a Service Center is closed, producers can receive assistance from the closest alternate Service Center by phone.

Producers can find Service Center phone numbers at farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

FPAC agencies continue to look at the flexibilities to deliver programs on behalf of producers, just as they have in past situations, such as natural disasters. Farmers and ranchers are resilient and FPAC agencies will continue to deliver the farm safety net programs and resource conservation programs that keep American agriculture in business today and long into the future.

Online services are available to customers with an eAuth account, which provides access to the farmers.gov portal where producers can view USDA farm loan information and payments and view and track certain USDA program applications and payments. Online NRCS services are available to customers through the Conservation Client Gateway. Customers can track payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance, and electronically sign documents. Customers who do not already have an eAuth account can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in.

For the most current updates on available services and Service Center status visit farmers.gov/coronavirus.

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Conservation

Sale of Land Under CRP Contract

This is a reminder for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants that land sold while under a CRP contract requires that money be refunded, unless there is a   successor-in-interest to the contract. Failure to get the buyer to assume a contract will result in the participant being required to refund all CRP rental payments, cost share payments, incentive payments, interest, and liquidated damages. Some CRP participants who sell their CRP land include a requirement in the sales contract that the new owner assume the CRP contract.  Thus, eliminating any violation.

Local FSA County Committees are required by regulations to terminate a CRP contract when the CRP participant loses control of the land and there is no successor-in-interest to the contract.  Please contact your local FSA County Office before you sell land that is currently in a CRP contract.

Violations under CRP Contract Period

This is a reminder for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants that land enrolled in the CRP program must follow the terms and conditions applicable to the signed contract.  Any violations such as, but not limited to harvesting of trees, selling of land without a successor-in-interest to the contract, enrolling into other Federal conservation programs, and so forth will result in the termination of the contract and the participant being required to refund all CRP rental payments, cost share payments, incentive payments, interest and liquidated damages. 

Please contact your local FSA County Office if you have any questions regarding permitted and/or restricted activities on your CRP land.

Locate your local USDA Service Center

The Farm Service Agency is a federal agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Located in all 50 states, our mission is to help American farmers provide reasonably priced food and fiber to the nation and the world. The Georgia Farm Service Agency State Committee oversees the farm program activities of the agency. The members are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. They hear appeals from local farmers and guide the direction of farm program related agency policy.