USDA Transportation Reimbursement Program
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Hi Alaskans,
GreenWave has recently had a few conversations with the USDA to better understand their Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program (RTCP) and how it could be helpful for seaweed farmers. Here's the TLDR:- Seaweed farmers can be reimbursed for 23-29% (depending on geography) of their transportation expenses incurred each year, up to an $8k cap.
- Eligible expenses include freight for both inputs (production-related equipment and supplies) and shipping finished product out of state
- RTCP has an annual application period opens in July each year and closes at the end of September; the eligible receipt timeframe is October 1 (in this case, 2023) - September 31 (2024).
A dedicated 2024 application packet will be released closer to that time. In the meantime, we highly recommend that you:
- Save ALL of your receipts related to transporting equipment or supplies in or out of the state. Check out last year's application packet to familiarize yourself with the reporting requirements.
- Register your farm (one-time) with the FSA to establish your eligibility to receive payments from the USDA. This packet has more information; at a minimum you will want to complete form AD-2047.
- Sign up for FSA's monthly newsletter to get notified when the application is available.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out directly to the following Alaska-based USDA team members:
- Erin Sturdivant, erin.sturdivant@usda.gov
- Shelby Johnson, shelby.johnson@usda.gov
- Hazen Kazaks, hazen.kazaks@usda.gov
@sam_gar Really great information. Thanks!