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FSA Releases Signup Information for Tree Assistance Program

May 14, 2018 – USDA’s Farm Service Agency recently released signup information for the Tree Assistance Program, a nationwide program that provides orchardists and nursery tree growers with cost share assistance to replant eligible trees, bushes, and vines following a natural disaster.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 prescribed several changes to the program, including the removal of the $125,000 per person and legal entity payment limitation. The notice outlined when producers should file applications for any recent losses, given the changes to the program.

Eligible producers should file for TAP assistance by the later of these two dates:

90 days of the disaster or when damages from the disaster are noticed; or
60 days after the regulation is published on the Federal Register later this summer.

The following producers can file applications:

Producers who did not previously apply for TAP for 2017 or 2018 losses; and
Producers who had applied and received an adverse determination that their 2017 or 2018 TAP application was filed late.

Additionally, producers with 2017 losses can also file an application or revise an original application because of the changes made through the Act.

For more information on TAP, producers should contact their local USDA service center.

Recent Stakeholder Information

USDA Receives Grant Applications from 33 States for Organic Certification Cost Share Program

April 19, 2017 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Administrator Chris Beyerhelm, today announced that under the December Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), USDA has received grant applications totaling approximately $7 million to 33 states under the initial deadline of Feb. 17, 2017. The states include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. USDA is reviewing grant agreements requests and will begin providing agreements to states for signature.
USDA Extends the Deadline for Eligible Puerto Rico Dairy Producers to Complete Feed Purchases and Take Delivery under the Dairy Assistance Program for Puerto Rico

Dec. 7, 2017 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced that it is extending the deadline for eligible Puerto Rico dairy producers affected by recent hurricanes to complete feed purchases and take delivery under the Dairy Assistance Program for Puerto Rico (DAP-PR). The new deadline is Jan. 15, 2018.
Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)

April 18, 2018 — As mandated in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, seed cotton is now a covered commodity under the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs effective for the 2018 crop year. As a result, producers with generic base acres will be allowed to convert to cotton base or allocate to other covered commodities later this summer and make a one-time election in the fall. The Act also authorizes farmers with generic base acres and a recent history of covered commodities a one-time opportunity to update the farm’s payment yield for seed cotton, which will also occur this summer.