USDA Announces Assistance to Pecan Growers Affected by 2017 Weather Events
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2018 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that additional assistance has been made available for pecan growers to replant and replace trees through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) as they recover from the impacts of 2017 weather events, which was made available by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018.
“Pecan orchards were hard hit in by storms in 2017. I saw first-hand the damage inflicted on communities, resources and the land.” said USDA Farm Production and Conservation Under Secretary Bill Northey. “These funds will help the industry recover and replace lost and damaged trees.”
Funding will be provided through the TAP, a program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Up to $15 million is available to eligible pecan orchardists or pecan nursery tree growers for certain mortality losses incurred during 2017. To be eligible, the grower must have suffered a mortality loss on a stand in excess of 7.5 percent, but less than 15 percent, adjusted for normal mortality.
In addition to TAP, growers and orchardists may be eligible for other 2014 Farm Bill programs. For example, pecan orchardists and nursery tree growers who suffered greater than a 15 percent mortality loss remain eligible under the regular TAP provisions. Under Secretary Northey urged those who may be eligible to work with their local state or county FSA office.
To qualify for a TAP payment for pecan tree losses, orchardists and nursery tree growers must have:
For more information about this or other FSA programs, contact your local FSA county office or USDA Service Center.
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ExcelinEd Releases New Resource to Improve State Career Education Programs
ExcelinEd released Auditing a State Career and Technical Education Program for Quality, the third installment in a series of resources to help states better align education programs with employer demand. With federal reauthorization of the Perkins Act last month, states have new flexibility in creating and implementing career and technical education (CTE) programs. This practical guide can help state policymakers take full advantage of this flexibility to ensure their state CTE programs are designed to help students prepare for successful careers in their states.
“It is time to make sure all students have the opportunity to pursue courses and skills that will serve them in the future. This is the only way we will be able to close the skills gap — the difference between what employers need to fill existing in-demand positions and the current knowledge and skills possessed by America’s workforce,” said Patricia Levesque, CEO of ExcelinEd. “Successful CTE programs empower students to explore and prepare for a range of career options while they are still in high school. From health care services to information technology, these programs offer education pathways that align with the needs of their state or region’s employers.”
A CTE audit can set the stage for a rich and robust examination of a state’s current CTE program, what it is achieving and whether or not those achievements are fully aligned with the state’s education, economic and workforce priorities. This new playbook guides state policymakers through a three-phase audit process to assess CTE program quality, alignment and overall effectiveness.
For more information on career and technical education, visit ExcelinEd's policy library and read the first two installments of the CTE playbook: Putting Career and Technical Education to Work for Students and Building Cross-Sector Partnerships to Support Career and Technical Education Pathways.
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