The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency has begun accepting applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program through an online portal, Sen. John Hoeven announced Thursday.

Further, the agency will use commercial document storage and e-signature solutions to allow producers to more easily complete their applications from home. Producers who are interested in submitting an online application will need an eAuthentication account and can begin the enrollment process at farmers.gov/sign-in.

“This online portal is a welcome tool to help overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and enable producers to access assistance as FSA works to safely re-open its offices,” said Hoeven. “We encourage producers to continue applying for these payments while we continue to work to secure additional support for our farmers and ranchers.”