Farm and Food Workers Relief Program

About

Beginning March 1, 2023, frontline farm workers and meatpacking workers who incurred expenses preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for a one-time $600 relief payment through this website, which is administered by Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture is one of 14 organizations and one tribal entity working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to distribute one-time $600 relief payments through the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program.

Eligible frontline farm workers and meatpacking workers from the following 14 states can apply for a relief payment through this website: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Applicants outside of these states will be eligible to apply for relief payments through other organizations. Click here to find organizations selected to distribute FFWR relief payments in your region.

Additional information:

• Relief payments will remain available until funds are exhausted.
• There is no cost to apply.
• Relief payments are not a loan and payment recipients will not be taxed.
• Immigration status is not one of the eligibility criteria.
• Applicant information is confidential. It will not be shared with the USDA nor any other state or federal agency.
• Only one relief payment can be issued to an eligible beneficiary. Applying for a relief payment through more than one location or organization will result in significant payment delays.

Eligibility requirements

Applicant must live or work in the following states:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.)
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• West Virginia

Applicants outside of these states will be eligible to apply for relief payments through other organizations. Visit ams.usda.gov/services/grants/ffwr to see the list of organizations selected to distribute FFWR relief payments in your region.

Applicant must provide acceptable (1) photo identification and (2) proof of employment as a farm worker or meatpacking worker within the U.S. and its territories during the period between January 27, 2020 and May 11, 2023. 

Youth (under the age of 18) are eligible for a relief payment. Youth must provide the same documentation as described below.

Acceptable photo identification includes:

• State-issued driver’s license or identification
• Consular- or government-issued identification (foreign or domestic)
• H2A Visa or H2B Visa
• Employer-issued identification

Acceptable proof of employment includes:

• W-2 tax form from 2020, 2021, or 2022
• Pay stub that pre-dates May 11, 2023
• Employment contract
• Letter from an employer, including employee name, occupation, work performed, time period employed, and employer signature
• H2A Visa or H2B Visa

Applicant must have been employed as a frontline field worker, livestock worker, or meatpacker worker.

Hired workers are defined as anyone, other than an agricultural service worker, who was paid for at least one hour of agricultural work on a farm or ranch, or in a meat processing facility. Worker type is determined by what the employee was primarily hired to do, not necessarily what work was done during the pandemic. Eligible frontline workers include:

Field workers: Includes planting, tending, and harvesting crops, as well as eligible post-harvest activities. Also includes operating farm machinery on crop farms. A list of qualifying crops for field activities can be found here.

Livestock workers: Includes tending livestock, milking cows, or caring for poultry. Also includes operating farm machinery on livestock or poultry operations.

Meatpacking workers: Includes animal slaughtering and meat or poultry processing, as well as packaging meat or poultry.

The relief payment is not intended for farm or meatpacking managers, however an applicant can meet eligibility criteria with sufficient proof as a frontline worker in eligible activities as described.

To further clarify what worker occupations qualify as eligible beneficiaries, you can review the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) codes and titles associated with field, livestock, and meatpacking workers. SOC codes are used by the Federal government to classify occupations. Again, eligible applicants across these worker types should be frontline workers, and not those working in management positions.  

Type of worker – SOC code –  Associated titles  

• Field Workers – 45-2041 – Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products  
• Field Workers – 45-2091 – Agricultural Equipment Operators  
• Field Workers – 45-2092 – Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse  
• Field Workers – 45-2099 – Agricultural Workers, All Other  
• Field Workers – 53-7064 – Packers and Packagers, Hand
• Livestock Workers – 45-2041 – Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
• Livestock Workers – 45-2093 – Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
• Livestock Workers – 45-2099 – Agricultural Workers, All Other 
• Livestock Workers – 53-7064 – Packers and Packagers, Hand 
• Meatpacking Workers – 51-3023 – Slaughterers and Meat Packers 
• Meatpacking Workers – 51-3022 – Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers 
• Meatpacking Workers – 51-3099 – Food Processing Workers, All Other

Relief payments are not available to farm owners or farm operators through the FFWR Program, except for those with proof of employment as frontline farm workers or meatpacking workers on farms they do not also own or operate. Farm owners and operators have been eligible for COVID-19 relief through other USDA programs.

Beware of fraud

To protect yourself from scams and fraud, please review the following information.

• You do not have to go to a notary to apply for the USDA Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) program. Only organizations designated by the USDA may process your application. Click here to see the list of organization selected to distribute FFWR relief payments in your region.

Note: Application periods may begin at different times depending on which organization you are applying through. Relief payments may not be made available at the same time throughout the country.

• There is no cost to apply. It’s free to apply to the FFWR program. Application assistance is also free.

• Never provide personal information to organizations that have not been approved by the USDA to distribute FFWR relief funds. This includes personal documents or any other form of identification. Click here to see the list of organization selected to distribute FFWR relief payments in your region.

Application Status

Click here to check the status of your FFWR application.

Apply

Apply for a one-time $600 payment through the Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) Program.

Please be sure to review the (1) eligibility requirements, (2) fraud information, and (3) frequently asked questions in the menu on the left before applying.

As noted in the eligibility requirements, you’ll need to submit acceptable proof of identification and proof of employment to complete your application. Please have these documents and information ready before starting your application.

If you choose to receive your payment through a direct deposit to your bank, you’ll also need to have your account and routing numbers available.

Click here to begin your application.