Sign-Up for Fire Blight Tree Assistance Program Ends June 29

Sign-up ends June 29 for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP), which provides financial relief to Michigan growers whose trees were damaged by fire blight during the last seven years.

Nancy Dietz, state executive director of the federal Farm Service Agency (FSA), said that Public Law 108-83 authorized $9.7 million for TAP, specifically for Michigan producers who suffered tree losses because of fire blight from Jan. 1, 2000, through the 2007 crop year, which ends Sept. 30.

Producers who qualify have until June 29 to apply. Under this special authorization, all eligible applicants have to submit evidence of the required replanting by Aug. 31. This is Michigan’s fourth sign-up under this authorization.

To qualify for payments, eligible owners must have suffered losses of 15 percent or greater to an individual stand, adjusted for normal mortality (1 percent for Michigan fire blight TAP). Payments are in the form of 75 percent cost sharing to replace the eligible trees within 12 months from the date the TAP application is approved.

For more information, or to apply for TAP assistance, tree owners should contact their local FSA office. Additional TAP information is available on FSA’s Web site at www.fsa.usda.gov.