The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, Richard V. Snuffer II has announced that producers who suffered qualifying livestock losses as a result of winter storm Jonas could be eligible for compensation through the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
“LIP, along with other livestock disaster assistance programs, was restored by the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill which provides livestock producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the damaging financial impact of natural disasters,” said Snuffer.
LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to an eligible adverse weather event, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold. For the current calendar year, eligible losses must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2016.
“A notice of loss must be filed with FSA within 30 days of when the loss of livestock occurred or became apparent,” said Snuffer. “Livestock that die within 60 days of the date of the qualifying eventwill be considered eligible for loss benefits.”
The LIP national payment rate for eligible livestock owners is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.
According to Snuffer, producers are urged to contact their local county FSA Office to schedule an appointment to submit a notice of loss and application for payment. To locate an FSA office near you, please visit http://offices.usda.gov.
Producers are encouraged to bring supporting evidence, including documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents.
For more information on LIP and other disaster assistance programs, visit FSA online atwww.usda.gov/disaster.