Training Available to the Public

The online training modules that were developed for the TAA for Farmers and Fishermen training program are available to the public.  There are many useful training modules ranging from specific to the approved commodities in the program (shrimp, catfish, asparagus, lobster, and wild blueberries) to trainings that are non-commodity specific (financial management, business planning, direct marketing, etc.)

There are 39 courses available via the National TAA for Farmers website.  The links below are for farmers, fishermen and educators interested in viewing the materials NOT for TAA participants seeking credit for training.  If you are a qualified applicant (application period is closed) make sure you follow the links to login to take courses for credit.  Follow any of the links below for a list of all training available online or commodity specific training most relevant to southern catfish farmers and shrimp fishermen.

After you click on one of the below links (or you select a course from the main training page) you will be taken to the home training page for the topic you selected. There will be a short intro video for each topic that shows how to use the TAA Online Training.  To view the selected training course, on the top left of the screen click on “Presentations” and the course specific training sections will appear and you can begin the training course or choose which portion of the training you wish to view.

TAA for Farmers Online Courses (ALL Courses):  http://taaforfarmers.org/Courses.aspx

Catfish Training

Risk Management for Catfish Farmers

Production Practices for Catfish Farmers

Health Management for Farm-Raised Catfish

Market Channels & Alts for Comm. Catfish

Shrimp Training

Coast Guard Licensing and Federal Laws

Shrimp Marketing Opportunities

Reducing Fuel Use in Tropical Shrimp Fisheries

National Training (Non-Commodity Specific)

Direct Marketing

Developing Your Financial Statements and Measures

Interpreting Financial Statements and Ratios

Developing Your Business Plan

Strategic Positioning for Farmers & Fishermen

Financial Planning for Fishing Families

Controlling Labor Management Risks

Transition Planning for Your Business

Posted via email from Southern Risk Management Education Center

TAA for Farmers

Many of the TAA participants have finished training, submitted approved Initial Business Plans and are working with a consultant on the final phase of the program – the Long Term Business Plan.  We have hundreds of consultants out in the field working hard to help the participants get started and finish this final step.  A few things to note as most are moving into this final phase or will be in the upcoming months:

1) Your Official TAA Consultant will NEVER ask you for money.  You are not required to pay anything for your TAA Consultant’s services.  If you are asked to pay for services from someone telling you they are associated with the TAA for Farmers program, please contact the Southern Risk Management Education Center immediately at 501-671-2165 or via email srtaa@uark.edu.

2) A TAA Consultant will be assigned to you.  There are a limited number of TAA Consultants and thousands of TAA participants.  We will get a consultant assigned to you.  If you are waiting to be assigned a consultant or have a meeting scheduled but it is a couple of weeks out on the calendar, you can get started on your Long Term Business Plan on your own.  If you have an account with the www.TAAforFarmers.org site you can log in and begin work immediately on your Long Term Plan.  This will help make your limited time with your consultant more productive and get you closer to reaching your goals.  If you do not have an online account set up we strongly encourage you to do so.  Ag Plan is a powerful business planning tool and is what drives the business planning process in the program.  Using it via the website is the best way to gain access to the full features of the software. 

3) Get a Head Start.  Before meeting with your consultant, before even being assigned a consultant, get a head start on your Long Term Business Plan.  If you don’t have one, create and log on to www.TAAforFarmers.org and fill out as much information in the business plan as you can on your own.  Most, if not all, of the information required on your business plan you already know – much of it is top of the head type of information.  Having a head start and bringing financial records to your initial meeting with your consultant will help make your time with your consultant much more effective and help you navigate this final phase more quickly.

4) Cash Payments. We have no role in sending out your cash payments nor do your consultants.  If you have questions regarding your payments you should direct them to the Farm Service Agency. 

As always, contact the Southern Risk Management Education Center with questions or comments about the TAA for Farmers program.  We appreciate all of your hard work and hope the program has been a positive and rewarding experience for you.

TAA for Farmers Program Staff

Southern Risk Management Education Center

501-671-2165

srtaa@uark.edu

Posted via email from Southern Risk Management Education Center

TAA for Farmers -- Online Training Now Available for Shrimp

InstructionsTAAforFarmers01262011.pdf Download this file

TAA Shrimp Applicants -- We are pleased to announce that online training courses are finally available for the Shrimp TAA Program!  

On March 30, 2011 the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota activated several online courses for Shrimp Fishermen in the TAA for Farmers program.  All approved applicants that have completed Initial Orientation can now log on and take courses online.  If you have not previously registered, I have attached instructions to this email that will walk you through step-by-step to setup an account and to complete an online course for training.   These instructions also include contact information if you are having difficulties setting up an account or completing online training.  Remember that there are 4 steps to getting credit for all online courses; 1) pre-course survey, 2) view the course, 3) pass the quiz, and 4) post-course evaluation.  If you fail to complete any of these steps, you may not receive credit for the training so make sure and do more than simply watch the videos.

If you experience issues with registering or accessing online training on the www.TAAforFarmers.org website, please contact the website administrator at the Center for Farm Financial Management, Phone: (612) 625-1964 or Email: info@TAAforFarmers.org.  Also contact the Southern Risk Management Education Center with any other questions or issues,  Phone: (501) 671-2165 or Email: srtaa@uark.edu.  If you need help or have questions you can always contact the Southern Risk Management Education Center by phone or email anytime.  

Our sincerest THANK YOU to all of you for your patience in waiting for these courses to become available online.  We know many of you have been anxious to begin work on your credit hours and we appreciate your patience with this program and hope you find the courses worth the wait.  I would also like to put in a plug for all of the wonderful people delivering in-person training sessions throughout the region as well as developing courses for the TAA workshops.  They have done a fantastic job delivering the TAA Program and continue to provide solid service to shrimp fishermen in the gulf and south Atlantic states.  We are lucky to be working with such a great team so the next time you see a SeaGrant or Cooperative Extension faculty or staff member at a TAA training event, please give them a pat on the back.

Good luck with any online training you choose to complete.  The topics that are now available online are listed below.  For a full description of each course log on to your TAA account and visit the www.TAAforFarmers.org website for more.

National TAA for Farmers Courses

·         Strategic Positioning for Farmers & Fishermen

·         Direct Marketing

·         Developing Your Business Plan

·         Developing Your Financial Statements and Measures

Shrimp Specific Courses

·         Coast Guard Licensing and Federal Laws

·         Shrimp Marketing Opportunities

·         more shrimp specific courses coming soon!

Posted via email from Southern Risk Management Education Center

Alternate Instructions for completing Initial Orientation online -- DEADLINE DECEMBER 22

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat or cannot view the instructions in PDF format, please click the following link to view the instruction on  a webpage.

http://srmec.uark.edu/InstructionsTAAforFarmers12062010.htm

Posted via email from Southern Risk Management Education Center

INITIAL ORIENTATION DEADLINE -- DECEMBER 22

The deadline for completing Initial Orientation is approaching quickly and with the upcoming holidays, we encourage all Farmers and Fishermen that applied for TAA for Farmers benefits to log on to www.TAAforFarmers.org and complete the Initial Orientation portion of the program as soon as possible.    There are step-by-step instructions available for download (click HERE).

IF your application to the program was rejected, you should have received a letter from the USDA.  In that letter, the process to appeal the decision (if you wish to appeal) was outlined and is summarized here:

If you wish to appeal this decision, you must file an administrative appeal in writing within 30 calendar days of the date of this letter.  Your appeal letter must include the following:

• Your name, address, telephone number, and email address (if available);
• A statement stating why our determination is in error, and any supporting documents;
•  An original signature and date.

Please mail your appeal letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, through the U.S. Postal Service to the following address: Deputy Administrator, Office of Trade Programs, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20024. Also, please note that the U.S. Postal Service postmark on your appeal letter will be used to determine whether your letter was received by the 30-day deadline. If you need additional information pertaining to the appeal process, please contact the TAA for Farmers Program staff at (202) 690-0633.

If you are appealing the decision the regional Risk Management Education Centers STRONGLY encourage you to go ahead and complete Initial Orientation.  The December 22 deadline applies and you must have Initial Orientation completed to continue with the program regardless of the appeal process so if you plan to appeal your decision, please complete the Initial Orientation requirements.

Updated TAA For Farmers "Online Training" Instructions

Download now or preview on posterous

InstructionsTAAforFarmers12062010.pdf (1126 KB)

The look of the http://TAAforFarmers.org website has changed on a couple of pages since the first set of instructions were released.  This new set of instructions will better help you complete Step 8 and ensure that you receive credit for the Initial Orientation if you choose to complete it on the website.

Posted via email from Southern Risk Management Education Center

TAA Applicant Changes

Any changes that need to be made by the TAA applicant must be done through the FSA office where they applied. Incorrect applicant names, addresses, etc.  The procedure to get changes in any of the applicant contact info or the alternates is to have the applicant contact the FSA office where they applied. There are issues with data in several Southern States.  The Center for Farm Financial Management has been working this week with their FSA DC contact to get these issues resolved. And a message outlining this process has been sent to all FSA offices as of the previous Wednesday. It indicates that local offices are suppose to accept and make the changes. We know you are getting calls from applicants on this issue and many others as are we all. Any further comments are appreciated so we can identify problems and fix them.

Posted via email from Southern Risk Management Education Center