The USDA recently announced that the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP) has extended the application deadline to January 13, 2024. This program was authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act Section 22007, which makes 2.2 billion dollars available to farmers who experienced discrimination in USDA Farm Loan Programs before January 1, 2021. Applicants can request personal records from the USDA Farm Service Agency to include with their application until November 3, 2023.
Farmers should be aware of scams. This is not a lawsuit. It is free to apply and lawyers are not needed. Technical assistance is available for free from a variety of community organizations to help farmers with the lengthy application. Applications opened on July 7, 2023 and will remain open until January 13, 2024.
USDA information on this program and a list of technical assistance providers can be found here: farmers.gov/22007
To apply visit: https://www.22007apply.gov/
Additional Resources:
Farmers’ Legal Action Group created this guide to help farmers understand the application process.
Technical Assistance Providers:
- AgrAbility
- Farmer Veteran Coalition
- Farmers’ Legal Action Group
- Federation of Southern Cooperatives
- Intertribal Agriculture Council
- Land Loss Prevention Project
- National Young Farmers Coalition
- Rural Coalition
Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act made $3.1 billion of assistance available to distressed borrowers with particular types of Farm Service Agency loans. An initial round of payments occurred in October 2022, with a second round in April 2023 to bring delinquent accounts current and assist with next installments. Farm Loan Programs guaranteed loan borrowers may qualify for automatic assistance in certain instances of financial distress. For more information on the circumstances that qualify for this assistance, see this list.
For borrowers who did not receive these initial payments, the following programs are still open for those who qualify.
Cash-Flow Based Assistance:
Direct loan borrowers at risk of becoming delinquent can request assistance with an upcoming payment or a recently missed installment. FSA sent out this letter to direct loan borrowers outlining the process. You can apply online here or visit your local FSA office.
Extraordinary Measures Assistance:
Direct loan borrowers who went to extraordinary measures to make loan payments between February 28, 2020 and October 18, 2022 may be eligible for financial assistance. For more information on what qualifies under this program check out this page. Visit your local FSA office to request an application or apply directly online here.
The deadline to apply for both programs is December 31, 2023. Financial assistance is contingent on available funding.
Additional information on these financial assistance opportunities can be found here: farmers.gov/22006