Lawmakers Seek Wheat Classes Included in CFAP

Lawmakers from Washington state want the Department of Agriculture to include three classes of wheat for coverage under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP. Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers presented the request in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue late last week. The letter seeks the inclusion of soft white, hard red winter and soft red winter wheat classes for coverage in the CFAP. The lawmakers say, “These classes of wheat, like so many other commodities, have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and need assistance under this program.” From January to April, the market for soft white wheat dropped more than 8.5 percent. Soft red winter wheat futures contracts range from $5.77 a bushel to $4.98. And, hard red winter wheat ranged from $5.07 in a bushel in January to $4.23 a bushel in March. CFAP was created as a result of the CARES Act relief package to provide direct relief to farmers and ranchers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.