WASHINGTON, July 20, 2021 — The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) is offering as much as $200 million to create reduction to bushes harvesting and bushes hauling companies which have experienced losses due to the COVID-19 as fragment of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Loggers and truckers can apply for assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) July 22 through Oct. 15, 2021. The Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers program (PATHH) is rush by FSA in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, authorized this severe assistance for the bushes industry. Timber harvesting and hauling companies which have experienced a grisly revenue loss of now not decrease than 10% throughout the duration of Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2020, in contrast to the duration of Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2019, are encouraged to utilize.
“USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative promised to procure monetary assistance to a broader dwelling of producers and this day’s announcement delivers on that promise,” stated Secretary Vilsack. “On top of the present challenges related to natural disasters and alternate, the pandemic precipitated a fundamental disruption for loggers and bushes haulers including lack of procure entry to to wood processing mills. This industry plays a severe role in our nation’s financial system and we’re proud to bolster these laborious-working loggers and truckers as they procure merit now not off tune.”
“Fancy many sides of the agriculture industry, the logging industry has experienced its share of monetary hardships throughout the pandemic,” stated FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We’re joyful to work with the U.S. Forest Service to build this recent program to create seriously wanted reinforce.”
“We’ve heard from loggers and truckers whose livelihoods were considerably impacted this past year by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re joyful that USDA can merit alleviate about a of the monetary burden,” stated Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen. “I attend those logging and log-hauling companies hardest hit by the pandemic to learn extra referring to the assistance supplied through this recent program.”
Program Microscopic print
To be eligible for payments, contributors or acceptable entities should quiet be a bushes harvesting or bushes hauling alternate where 50% or extra of its grisly revenue is derived from one or extra of the next:
- Reducing bushes.
- Transporting bushes.
- Processing of wood on-place on the woodland land (chipping, grinding, changing to biochar, cutting to smaller lengths, etc.).
Funds will likely be according to the applicant’s grisly revenue obtained from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 1, 2019, minus grisly revenue obtained from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 1, 2020, multiplied by 80%. FSA will instruct an initial fee equal to the lesser of the calculated fee amount or $2,000 as applications are authorized. A 2d fee will likely be made after the signup duration has ended essentially based fully upon last PATHH funds.
The most amount that a person or acceptable entity would possibly well per chance per chance additionally just bag without prolong is $125,000.
Making utilize of for Assistance
Loggers and truckers can apply for PATHH initiating place on July 22 by winding up designate FSA-1118, Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers Program application, and certifying to their grisly revenue for 2019 and 2020 on the application. Extra documentation would possibly well per chance per chance additionally be required. Consult with farmers.gov/pathh for extra recordsdata on easy systems to utilize.
Applications would possibly well per chance per chance additionally be submitted to the FSA pickle of labor at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand supply, or by process of digital method. To search out a local FSA pickle of labor, loggers and truckers can visit farmers.gov/carrier-locator. They would per chance per chance per chance additionally call 877-508-8364 to focus on without prolong with a USDA employee ready to present assistance.
FSA will host a stakeholder webinar on Wednesday, July 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Enthusiastic contributors have to register for the webinar.
As USDA appears to be to be like to long-term solutions to method merit a greater food machine, the Division is committed to handing over monetary assistance to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers and companies who were impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions. Since USDA rolled out the Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative in March, the Division has presented over $7 billion in assistance to producers and agriculture entities. For extra particulars, please visit www.farmers.gov/pandemic-assistance.
USDA touches the lives of all Individuals day to day in so many sure systems. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is reworking The United States’s food machine with a elevated focal level on extra resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, guaranteeing procure entry to to wholesome and nutritious food in all communities, constructing recent markets and streams of earnings for farmers and producers utilizing local weather tidy food and forestry practices, making historical investments in infrastructure and tidy vitality capabilities in rural The United States, and committing to equity across the Division by casting off systemic boundaries and constructing a personnel extra representative of The United States. To learn extra, visit www.usda.gov.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
