The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has announced changes and new additions for the 2017 Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP).
TAEP is a cost sharing program. Producers fulfill requirements to defray the costs of strategic investments in their agricultural operations. The goal is to increase profitability and efficiency while promoting long-term investments in Tennessee’s agriculture and forestry industries.
“We are always looking for opportunities to improve the producer’s experience with TAEP,” Agriculture Commissioner Jai Templeton said. “Last year we lessened the turnaround time in notifying those who were approved. This year we have added qualified items and adjusted some requirements to better enable producers to fully benefit from the program.”
Applications will be accepted online and by mail Oct. 1–16.
Changes and additions include:
- The final reimbursement request deadline for Livestock Equipment is now April 1.
- New livestock and feed storage equipment items have been added, including portable feed bins, hay unrollers and fly sprayers.
- Producers in the genetics program may now use multiple purchases in order to receive the program maximum.
- The required number of beehives for the honey bee cost share has decreased.
- Biosecurity items for poultry growers have been added.
Other changes and additions can be found online at www.tn.gov/taep.
Instructions to access TAEP accounts and apply for funds is available online, or you can obtain a printed application at offices for USDA Farm Service Agency, UT Extension and Farm Bureau, as well as most farm supply stores. To ensure accuracy, producers are encouraged to work with their local extension agent or TDA representative when completing the application. For more information or for an application, call 1-800-342-8206 or visit www.tn.gov/taep.
More than 5,500 producers received cost share approvals through the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program for FY16/17. More than $138 million has been invested in 46,541 producer projects since 2005. The University of Tennessee Agri-industry Modeling & Analysis Group estimates that each TAEP dollar generates an average of $3.89 in local economies.