Eligibility: Who can apply?
Frontline workers in farming activities and meatpacking work during the period extending from January 27, 2020 until May 11, 2023, the end of the incident period for the major disaster declaration related to COVID-19 are eligible to receive funding.
Immigration status is not one of the eligibility criteria under this program. While assertions and/or documentation regarding citizenship status are not required, workers must provide proof of identity and proof of employment.
Eligible beneficiaries for this program are defined as hired workers in farming activities or meatpacking excluding those working in management positions.
Field Workers | Livestock Workers | Meatpacking Workers |
Planting, tending, harvesting crops, and post-harvest activities, including operation of farm machinery on crop farms. | Tending livestock, milking cows, or caring for poultry, including operation of farm machinery on livestock or poultry operations. | Animal slaughtering and meat or poultry processing, including meat or poultry packaging |
Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) Codes For more details visit: SIC Code and NAICS Code Search | SICCODE.com | ||
45-2041 - Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products: Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition. | 51-3022 - Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers: Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood. | |
45-2091 - Agricultural Equipment Operators: Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning. | 45-2093 - Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries. | 51-3023 - Slaughterers and MeatPackers: Perform nonroutine or precision functions involving the preparation of large portions of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats. Work typically occurs in slaughtering, meatpacking, or wholesale establishments. |
45-2092 - Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities. | ||
45-2099 - Agricultural Workers, All Other: All agricultural workers not listed separately (Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations). | 51-3099 - Food Processing Workers, All Other: All food processing workers not listed separately | |
53-7064 - Packers and Packagers, Hand: Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials. |
Requirements: What is needed to apply?
Eligible field workers, meatpacking workers, and livestock workers intending to apply for the Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant should be prepared to provide some form of employment and identity verification.
Workers will:
- Self-certify through sufficient documentation proving employment at a food processing facility, meatpacking facility
- Self-certify that they incurred expenses preparing for, preventing exposure to, and/or responding to the COVID-19 pandemic such as, but not limited to: costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), expenses associated with quarantines and testing, and dependent care
- Self-certify that they have not previously received a FFWR beneficiary payment through another entity.
Potential Proof of Identity Documents * At least one of these items *MUST INCLUDE PHOTO, FULL NAME, AND DATE OF BIRTH | Potential Proof of Employment Documentation *At least one of these items |
• State Issued Driver’s License or Identification • ID Consular Card or Government Issued Identification (Foreign or Domestic) • Passport (Foreign or Domestic) • H2A Visa/ H2B Visa • Employer Issued Identification (To support identification, not to be used independently) *** NOT ACCEPTING IDENTIFICATION CARDS WITHOUT PICTURE AND DOB*** | • W-2 Tax Form (2020-2023) along with additional documentation • Pay stub Employer • Earning Statement • H2A Visa/ H2B Visa |
Non-Photo Identification: Two forms of other documentation with the individual’s name.
Final acceptable documentation types will be confirmed when beneficiary applications are provided. Original physical documentation must be provided; copies are not acceptable.
Beware of Fraud Avoid scams and fraud when applying for the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program (FFWR). Relief payments may be made available at different times throughout the country. Application Assistance is Free. Never provide personal documents or any form of identification to unapproved organizations. To view the list of organizations selected to distribute the direct relief payments and find a grantee serving your region: www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/ffwr.