Progress 09/20/23 to 09/19/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the TAPN Cooperators will focus on producers located inthe Western Region's designated critical areas and who area part of a group who are statistically more susceptible to low market penetration and higher rejection and withdrawal rates. These producers may struggle to access FSA Farm Loan Programs and include both rural and urban producers,American Indian, Hispanic, Hmong and other Southeast Asian producers, many of whom reside in geographically isolated areas withlong distances from FSA field staff offices. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and collaboration schedulefor TAPN Cooperators: Southern and Western region TAPN Cooperators Training January 7-9,2025, San Diego, CA. Inconcert with FSA leadership and the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota a comprehensive training curriculum will be introduced and delivered toTAPN cooperators and advisors; as well as FSA field staff from the designated critical areas. (See curriculum details in prior section). Expectedregistrations to the training include 65 TAPN Cooperators and Advisors directly delivering the program and about 30 FSA staff and program administration staff. Both the Southern and Western regions have metwith cooperators to dicuss overlap in critical areas, willingness to serve each designated county within a critical area andhow to achieveoptimal coverage in each service area through effective collaboration. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will work towards achievment of strategic goals 4-8 to: a )support the TAPN's capacity to address local issues relevant to supporting producers in accessing FLP's and connecting them to FSA farm programs, b) support TAPN Cooperators' efforts to help producers to develop lending readiness, including accessibility of credit, help withtransitiong to digital tools and providing standardized and reliable training materials and resourcesto producers at every stage of the loanmaking and servicing processes, c) support TAPN Cooperators' efforts to educate producers on the full range of USDA's farm programs to increase producers' loan repayment success, and d) support TAPN Cooperators' efforts to work with producers one on one and in groups to ensure their success when developing FLP applications.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In its first year of TAPN, the Western Center has successfully delivered 3 of the specific project aims listed as major goals of this project. Prior to the successful announcement of the TAPN Farm Loan Program RFA in July 2024, the Center collaborated with FSA and NIFA leadership, Southern and Digital Centers to establish designated critical areas in both the Southern and Western regions and engaged inoutreach and recruitment efforts to establish a broad set of potential applicants that included grass roots community-based and/or other organizations with demonstrated experience delivering technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers. An applicant information webinar was held in September of 2024 for Southern and Western region applicants. The Southern region funded 8 projects in the amount of $2,614,691 with all critical areas across the South being served. In the West, 7 projects received fundingin the amount of $2,598,121. These seven projects are targeting one or moreof the 11 designated critical areas and the associatedcritical area counties in the western region. Total funding in the amount of $5,212,812 was awarded to cover FSA's designated critical areas in the South and the West. Pending NIFA budget approval, these projects will commence work on November 1, 2024 with a 3-year period of performance ending on October 31, 2027. A cooperator training plan has been developed for a targeted training that will take place in January of 2025 for cooperators and advisors working on the ground with producers located in the 21 critical areas. The Center for Farm Financial Management (CFFM) has developed a comprehensive cooperator training curriculum in alignment with FSA's suite of digital and non-digital tools. Key topic areas include FSA Loan Programs and Types, best practices for helping producers to completeFSA loan applications, preparing FSA loan application documents including balance sheets, cashflow projections, financial history and tax returns; and best practices for collecting information from producers; how to position farms and ranches for success including business planning and record keeping; and FSA loan servicing including expectations for borrowers (payment schedules, applying for additional loans) and steps to take if a loan is denied. This training curriculum also includes communication skills for difficult scenarios and how to help customers initiate conversationswithFSA field staff.
Publications
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