Clarification on Seed Eligibility Under USDA Market Facilitation Program

Source: American Seed Trade Association

The American Seed Trade Association was recently made aware that there was confusion regarding whether farmers who grow corn/soybean/wheat seed would be eligible to receive payments for their seed acres under USDA’s recently announced Market Facilitation Program (MFP). These payments are intended to offset price losses caused by tariffs and other trade disruptions.

ASTA raised this concern with Bill Northey, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, who is tasked with overseeing the MFP program. Under Secretary Northey confirmed to ASTA that it was not the intention of USDA to exclude seed producers.  

Northey clarified, “Crops with an intended use (as previously recorded on the FSA-578) of grain and seed are eligible for MFP. Crops with an intended use of silage, forage, grazing are not eligible. However, crops with an intended use of grain or seed that were mechanically harvested, such as for silage, will be eligible. That is, if they cut it for silage, but it was intended for grain or seed, they would be eligible for MFP.” 

More information is available in a memo for State and County offices, published on September 4, 2018 outlining the requirements for the Market Facilitation Program. Page 6 of that memo clarifies the commodities, with their intended uses, that are eligible for the MFP program. Commodities include cotton, corn, grain sorghum, soybean and wheat.