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• Food;

• Horticulture, including trees;

• Insects or products thereof; and

• Livestock, including elk, reindeer, bison, horses

and deer.

How it Works

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for RTCP benefits, producers must:

• Be a geographically disadvantaged farmer or

rancher producing, marketing and transporting an

agricultural commodity in an approved area;

• Submit an application during the specified period

applicable for each fiscal year;

• Provide proof of the amount of costs incurred for

the transportation of the agricultural commodity or

input;

• Comply with conservation and wetland protection

requirements on all their land;

• Be a person or legal entity with an average

adjusted gross income that does not exceed

$900,000; and

• Be a citizen or a legal resident alien of the United

States in accordance with 7 CFR Part 1400 for

foreign persons.

Overview

The Consolidated Appropriation Act 2021 reauthorized the Reimbursement Transportation Cost 

Payment Program (RTCP) for geographically 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to reimburse 

producers for a portion of the cost to transport 

agricultural commodities or inputs used to produce an 

agricultural commodity. 

Funding

RTCP is subject to appropriated funding and 

rescissions may apply. The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2021 authorized $2 million for 

fiscal year 2021.

Who is Eligible?

Producers eligible for RTCP include geographically 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in an insular area. 

This includes farmers and ranchers from the following 

states, territories and areas:

• Hawaii;

• Alaska;

• Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;

• Guam;

• American Samoa;

• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;

• Federated States of Micronesia;

• Republic of the Marshall Islands;

• Republic of Palau; and

• Virgin Islands of the United States.

What is Eligible?

The following agricultural commodities are eligible for 

the RTCP:

• Aquaculture;

• Feed;

• Fiber;

• Floriculture;

FACT SHEET

July 2021

Reimbursement Transportation Cost 

Payment Program (RTCP) for Geographically 

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 2

check to provide verifiable proof that the transportation 

of the agricultural commodities or inputs occurred for 

the applicable fiscal year.

Fiscal Year 2021 Enrollment Period 

(2021 RTCP)

Enrollments for fiscal year 2021 will begin July 12, 

2021 and end Sept. 3, 2021. Since RTCP benefits are 

based on transportation costs incurred during a fiscal 

year, producers will have until Nov. 1, 2021 to provide 

supporting documentation of their actual transportation 

costs to replace any certified amounts for fiscal year 

2021.

How to Apply

Applicants must file an application for benefits at the 

FSA service center that maintains the farm records 

for their business. To locate an FSA county office or 

service center, visit http://offices.usda.gov.

Applicants located in the insular areas of the Pacific 

Basin must file an application for benefits directly with 

the Hawaii State and Pacific Basin Office. Applicants 

in the insular areas of the Pacific Basin may submit 

completed RTCP documents to the following address 

during the announced enrollment period.

Hawaii State and Pacific Basin

Farm Service Agency Office

P.O. Box 50065

300 Ala Moana Blvd, Rm 5-108

Honolulu, HI 96850

Applications and other documents required for RTCP 

participation may be obtained by calling toll-free 

1-866-794-1079.

More Information

For more information about FSA programs, contact the 

closest USDA service center or visit the FSA website 

at www.fsa.usda.gov. To locate an FSA county office 

or USDA service center, visit farmers.gov/servicelocator.

Note: Commercial fishermen are not eligible for

RTCP benefits.

Payment Calculation

RTCP payments will be:

• Calculated based on the amount of costs

incurred by the producer for transportation of the

agricultural commodity or inputs during a fiscal

year and multiplied by the applicable percentage of

allowance (cost-of-living allowance or COLA) for

the applicable fiscal year in the applicable area;

Example: A producer incurred transportation costs in 

Hawaii for fiscal year 2020 totaling $15,000. The 

fiscal year 2020 percentage of allowance in Maui 

County, Hawaii, is 25 percent. $15,000 x 25 percent = 

$3,750.

• Subject to an $8,000 per producer cap per fiscal

year; and

• Subject to a payment factor if the funding

availability is exceeded in a fiscal year.

Transportation Rates

Types of transportation rates used to determine 

reimbursable amounts are as follows:

• Actual – rate is based on the actual transportation

costs incurred by the applicant and must be

determined, in all cases, from verifiable records.

No other type of transportation rate is permitted

under this option for the same request.

• Fixed – rate is established by the FSA state

committee (STC) with Deputy Administrator

for Farm Programs (DAFP) concurrence and

reflects transportation rates applicable to certain

agricultural commodities or inputs used to produce

the agricultural commodity.

• Set – rate is established by the STC with DAFP

concurrence and reflects a percent of the total cost

used to represent the transportation cost incurred.

This rate will only be used if the inputs do not have

an established fixed rate or if a breakdown of the

transportation costs is not available.

Applicants who have certified their costs, and either a 

fixed or set transportation rate is used to determine the 

reimbursable amounts, are subject to a compliance spot 

REIMBURSEMENT TRANSPORTATION COST PAYMENT PROGRAM (RTCP) - JULY 2021