Hobby Stripling, State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Georgia announced that USDA has a revised Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers (TAAF) Program.  Under the program, the USDA provides technical assistance and cash benefits to eligible producers of raw agricultural commodities and fishermen who have been hurt by import competition.

According to Stripling the TAAF program is for producers and fishermen who had greater than 15 percent decrease in national average price; quantity of production; the value of production; or in cash receipts compared to the average of the three preceding years where it is determined that an increase in imports was a significant factor.

The program will be administered by Farm Service Agency (FSA), however USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) will determine if a commodity is eligible for the program.  Three or more producers or a commodity organization may request, on behalf of producers in their state or group of states, that a commodity be certified as eligible by submitting form FAS-930, Petition for Certification. FAS will review commodity petitions from March 1 through April 14, 2010.  This form is available online at http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/taa/taaforms.asp.
Producers of a certified commodity may apply for benefits under the TAAF Program by submitting a written application (FSA-229-1) to their local FSA Service Center once their  commodity is eligible. The application form is available at FSA offices or at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/taa/taaforms.asp. Applicants should check eligibility requirements in the Federal Register notice to determine if their commodity has been certified.

For more information, visit http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/taa or contact the TAA for Farmers Program staff, Office of Trade Programs, at tele. (202) 720-0638, or (202) 690-0633, or by e-mail at tradeadjustment@fas.usda.gov.