What is Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Farmers and Fishermen?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 reauthorized and modified the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Farmers program. The TAA for Farmers program helps producers of raw agricultural commodities and fishermen adjust to a changing economic environment associated with import competition through technical assistance and cash benefits. If you are a producer of a commodity who has recently suffered a greater than 15 percent decrease in the national average price, the quantity of production, value of production, or cash receipts compared to the average of the three preceding marketing years, and imports contributed importantly to this decline, then you may be eligible to receive free information, technical assistance, and cash payments to develop and implement Business Adjustment Plans from the TAA for Farmers program.

TAA provides training to help producers increase profitability, improve production efficiency, consider marketing opportunities, and evaluate alternative enterprises. TAA will also help participants develop a business plan, evaluate changes to their business, and provide funding to implement changes.

TAA Technical Assistance for producers and fishermen includes the following components:

Initial technical assistance - an overview of TAA and opportunities to improve production and marketing or evaluate alternative enterprises

Intensive technical assistance - choose from a series of workshops on topics relevant to the commodity that will help improve profitability

Initial business plan - write a short description of how you plan to change your business based on what was learned from the workshops to become eligible to receive a maximum $4,000 cash payment

Long-term business adjustment plan - get help developing a business plan outlining how you will implement changes to your business. Completion makes you eligible for a maximum $8,000 cash payment

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For complete information about the TAA Program, please visit the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmer’s and Fishermen website.