Florida State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (USDA/FSA), Tim Manning, explains more about the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Listen closely, near the end Tim also urges producers to turn in their annual acreage reports to prevent a late fee.
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Here is some more general information about the USDA/FSA Tree Assistance Program (TAP)
FSA announces TAP for commercial orchardists and nursery tree growers. To be eligible for TAP, producers must have suffered greater than an 18% death loss per individual stand due to a natural disaster. The deaths must have occurred in the same calendar year as the disaster. Natural Disasters include plant disease, insect infestation, drought, fire, freeze, flood, lightning, or other occurrence of such magnitude or severity so as to be considered disastrous, as determined by FSA. TAP is a cost-reimbursement program, with payments covering up to 70 percent of replant costs and 50 percent of pruning, removal and other salvaging costs for replacing or salvaging damaged trees. Producers can receive assistance for up to 500 acres of trees, bushes or vines. Eligible losses must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2008, and before Oct. 1, 2011. Signup deadlines are as follows: Losses occurring for Calendar Year 2008, 2009, and January 1, 2010 to May 7, 2010 deadline is July 6, 2010, May 8, 2010 to September 30, 2011 is within 90 calendar days of the disaster event or date when the loss of trees, bushes, or vines is apparent. Producers must have purchased a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, or for 2008, obtained a waiver of the risk management purchase requirement through the buy-in provision. There are limited exceptions to this rule.
For more information on the new TAP program, please contact your local county FSA office at 863-773-4764 or the website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov
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