The Department of Agriculture this week reminded farmers, ranchers and forest landowners that January 13, 2024, is the deadline to apply for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. The program is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided $2.2 billion in funding.
Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination by USDA in its farm loan programs before January 1, 2021, and/or are currently debtors with assigned or assumed USDA farm loan debt that was the subject of USDA discrimination that occurred before January 1, 2021, are eligible for the program. Applications may be submitted online through the program website at 22007apply.gov, in person at a DFAP local office, or by mail. The full list of offices and their operating hours can be found on the application website.
After receiving feedback from potential applicants in September, USDA extended the deadline to January 13, 2024. This provided potential applicants six months to prepare applications. The previous deadline was October 31, 2023.