One-hundred-eight-four Concord grape growers in New York and Pennsylvania shared approximately $190,000 by participating in Trade Adjustment Assistance training developed and presented by the Lake Erie and Finger Lakes Regional Grape Teams, Gerald White, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell and Steve Richards, NYFarmNet.

Concord growers in the Lake Erie Region of Pennsylvania petitioned the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program for relief from foreign competition. The TAA petition was accepted and extension in New York and Pennsylvania was asked to develop a training curriculum focusing on world trade impacts, alternative markets and businesses, and retraining. Once growers participated in the initial (mandatory) training session they were eligible for a cash payment of $3.06 per ton and retraining benefits through the state Labor Departments of no more than 104 weeks paid tuition up to $25,000. Intensive training on production practices or production of a farm business plan are also available to those who completed the initial training at no cost to the participant.

Gerald White convened a team of grape extension team members to meet with representative of the North East Center for Risk Management Education on April 25. Within 60 working days of the first meeting a 101 page Concord Grape Technical Assistance Curriculum was written, PowerPoint presentations developed and the first of five group-training sessions was conducted. Thirteen growers who were unable to attend the group meetings received individual training in grape program offices in the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie regions.

One-hundred-eight-four Concord grape growers in New York and Pennsylvania shared approximately $190,000 by participating in Trade Adjustment Assistance training developed and presented by the Lake Erie and Finger Lakes Regional Grape Teams, Gerald White, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell and Steve Richards, NYFarmNet. In addition, growers who completed the mandatory training became eligible for retraining benefits of up to $25,000 over a two-year period. Participants were also eligible to participate in the intensive training portion of the program where individualized farm business or production plans could be developed with the assistance of outside consultants from NYFarmNet or members of the regional grape teams.

Trade Adjustment Assistance - United States Department of Labor

• Gerald White
• Barry Shaffer
• Tim Martinson
• Andy Muza
• Steve Richards
• Hans Walter Peterson