Debbie Stabenow: “TAP is very important, especially in Michigan. In 2000, our apple growers in the southwest region of the state suffered…”

“TAP is very important, especially in Michigan. In 2000, our apple growers in the southwest region of the state suffered from devastating fire blight that destroyed over 10,000 acres of apple orchards resulting in an estimated total loss of $98 million for apple growers in Michigan. Unfortunately, the funding for TAP expired the year before and none of these growers could apply for assistance. I thank the Senator for reauthorizing TAP in the farm bill. In the Senate version of the farm bill, the reauthorization for TAP included the following language regarding eligibility, ``(a) shall apply to tree losses that are incurred as a result of a natural disaster after January 1, 2000.''”