The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) announced Wednesday that its Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) will begin accepting applications from farmers in October.
The state’s TAEP is a cost share program which funds up to 50 percent of farming projects for the purpose of “making long-term investments in Tennessee farms and communities.” The program began in 2005 and has funded more than $246 million in 80,860 producer projects so far.
Each TAEP dollar generates approximately $6.55 in local economies, according to the TDA, citing a study by the University of Tennessee Agri-industry Modeling and Analysis Group.
“Participation allows producers to maximize farm profits, adapt to changing market situations, improve operation safety, increase farm efficiency, and make a positive economic impact in their communities,” TDA writes on its website.
Applications for this year’s program are open from October 1 – October 7 while approval notifications are expected to be mailed mid-December.
This year’s program is broken up into two application groups – A and B.
Application A covers opportunities for hay, livestock, poultry growers, and row crop producers. Programs include dairy solutions, herd health, genetics, row crop solutions, hay equipment, livestock equipment, livestock solutions, working structures and fence-line systems, poultry grower, and swine producer.
The hay equipment program, TDA notes, is available this year, alternating with hay storage as an eligible program every other year.
Application B is for farmers with investments in agritourism, fruits and vegetables, honey bees, horticulture, organics, and value-added products.
“Producers in Tennessee may defray the costs of strategic investments in their operations,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. said in a statement. “The success of TAEP can be attributed to agricultural families who are committed to sustaining and expanding their businesses. TDA’s support from legislators, industry partners, and Governor Lee have kept the program going strong.”
For a full list of application requirements and more information on TDA’s TAEP cost share program, visit https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/farms/taep.html.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
