Livestock Indemnity program in progress

USDA has announced a signup period for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), which provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths caused by natural disasters that occurred between January 1, 2005 and February 28, 2007, including losses because of blizzards that started in 2006 and continued into January, 2007.

‘The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veteran’s Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 authorizes the LIP,’ said FSA County Committee chairperson Vickie Bouldin.

President Bush signed the bill into law on May 25, 2007. The provisions are similar to those of other livestock indemnity programs implemented by FSA in recent years.

‘To be eligible for LIP, an owner or contract grower’s livestock must have been located in a county or contiguous county designated a natural disaster by the President or declared by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture between January 1, 2005 and February 28, 2007,’ said Bouldin.

‘Producers in counties and contiguous counties that received an approved Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification (APLN), when the APLN is directly associated to a natural disaster designated by the President, are eligible. Producers who incurred losses in more than one of the 2005-2007 calendar years may only select one year in which to receive assistance.

‘Eligible livestock for the LIP include adult beef cows and bulls, adult buffalo or beefalo cows and bulls, adult dairy cows and bulls, deer, ducks, equine, geese, goats (bucks and does) sheep (ewes, rams, and lambs) swine, turkeys and chickens.’

The livestock must have died in an eligible county as a direct result of an eligible disaster event after January 1, 2005 and before February 28, 2007; they must have died no later than 60 calendar days from the ending date of the applicable disaster period; and must have died in the calendar year for which benefits are requested.

‘The livestock cannot have been produced for reasons other than commercial farming, including free roaming animals, or animals used for recreation purposes, such as hunting, pets, roping or for show,’ according to Bouldin.

Producers should submit a completed LIP application to the local FSA office that maintains their farm records for their business. Supporting documents must show evidence of loss, current physical location of livestock in inventory, and location of the livestock at the time of death.

For more information about the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) contact the Warren County FSA Service Center located at 811 Faulkner Springs Road, McMinnville.