COVID-19 Resources

Note: All NOFA-NY staff are working remotely until further notice. NOFA-NY is currently planning to perform on-site inspections for the 2021 season; continuing to follow any NYS required safety protocols to protect the health of our inspectors, certified operations, and communities while ensuring compliance with the USDA organic regulations. However, note that on-site inspections could be halted if additional COVID concerns arise or as mandated, and procedures are subject to change. Please review the following guidance on inspections (producers will also receive this information with their 2021 applications):

• 2021 Inspections & COVID-19 Guidance for NOFA-NY Certified Organic Farms and Operations
• 2021 Inspections & COVID-19 Guidance for New Applicants

Please see our News Updates page for additional updates.

For upcoming webinars hosted by NOFA chapters and other partner organizations, check out the calendar on our homepage.

Funding & Services

• Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP): The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline or who had losses due to market supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs. A second round of funding is now available, and CFAP-2 applications will be accepted through December 11, 2020.

• Additional links:
  • To see if you’re eligible and access a list of required forms, visit https://www.farmers.gov/cfap
  • This program is administered through Farm Service Agency (FSA). Click here for a directory of New York FSA offices.
  • CFAP FAQs
  • Payment Calculator

• Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance: Farmers and other agricultural enterprises are now eligible for the EIDL program. The EIDL advance program will issue grants of up to $10,000 that do not need to repaid. Funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Unlike PPP, applications for the EIDL program are made directly to SBA. Apply here.
• Guide to COVID-19 Relief from Farmer’s Legal Action Group (FLAG)
• The COVID-19 Legal Support Project is providing pro bono legal services to New York State’s farmers and food, beverage, and agricultural businesses, through the Food and Beverage Law Clinic at Elisabeth Haub School of Law and by attorneys at Shearman & Sterling LLP. Learn more here.
  • FAQ on Funding Programs Available to Small and Mid-Size Farms in Response to COVID-19 from Food and Beverage Law Clinic at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Producers interested in donating excess product to food banks can contact FarmLink here.

Technical Assistance

• Allowed Detergents and Sanitizers for Food Contact Surfaces and Equipment from NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC
• Safety plan template from NYS Department of Health
• How to build a portable handwashing station from the National Young Farmers Coalition
• Guidance for farms creating safety plans from the Agricultural Justice Project
• Heat and COVID-19 guidance from the Global Heat Health Information Network
• Trabajadores Agrícolas y el COVID-19: Preguntas frecuentes
• “Stop the spread” posters available in multiple languages from the NYSDOH (scroll down to the bottom of the page for printable PDFs)
• Farmers Guide to Direct Sales Software Platforms from the National Young Farmers Coalition
• Resources for CSA Farmers from the CSA Innovation Network
• COVID Resource Hub from Farm Credit East – including helpful information on applying for SBA programs
• Food & Land Sovereignty Resource List for COVID-19 compiled by Soul Fire Farm, Black Farmer Fund, and Northeast Farmers of Color
• Best practices for U-Pick farms from Cornell University
• Recommendations for food businesses from the Food Marketing Institute
• Food Industry Resources from the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University
  • Consumer FAQs are also available on this site.
• Considerations for Fruit and Vegetable Growers Related to Coronavirus & COVID-19 from UVM Extension
• Stress management resources from NY FarmNet
• Social Media Guide for Farmers from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

State and Federal Guidance

• COVID-19: Guidance and Resources for the Ag Community from NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • Interim guidance for farmers markets
• Official policy updates from New York State
• Guidance from NYS on “essential businesses”

Shop Local

• Essex County: Food Delivery and Curbside Options
• Madison County: Curbside Pickup Program at Extension
• Tompkins County (h/t to Groundswell for these resources):
  • Farms Serving Tompkins County (many with farm store pick up and delivery options)
  • Tompkins County restaurants available for takeout and pickup
  • Tompkins Mutual Aid Facebook page
• MeatSuite – a tool from Cornell Cooperative Extension to find local farms that sell chicken, pork, beef and more, direct to the consumer.
• List of CSA programs from Modern Farmer
• Visit your neighborhood co-op – they source lots of products directly from local farms!
  • 4th Street Food Co-op in Manhattan
  • Abundance Food Co-op in Rochester
  • African Heritage Food Co-op in Buffalo and Niagara Falls
  • Central Brooklyn Food Co-op in Brooklyn
  • East Aurora Cooperative Market in East Aurora
  • Electric City Food Co-op in Schenectady
  • Flatbush Food Co-op in Brooklyn
  • Greene Hill Food Co-op in Brooklyn
  • GreenStar Natural Foods Market in Ithaca
  • High Falls Food Co-op in High Falls
  • Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany
  • Hungry Hollow Co-op in Chestnut Ridge
  • Kaaterskill Farm Natural Storehouse in Catskill and Hudson
  • Lexington Co-op in Buffalo
  • Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn
  • Syracuse Cooperative Market in Syracuse