U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Executive Director Kay Hand today is reminding producers in Blaine, Cherry, Grant, Hooker and Thomas Counties who suffered livestock losses due to the recent extreme heat that financial assistance may be available through the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
“The Livestock Indemnity Program provides producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the financial impact of extreme or abnormal weather,” said CED Hand. “The extreme heat in the past week has had a significant impact on some livestock producers, even with good management practices in place. We encourage folks to reach out to our county FSA office.”
To apply for LIP benefits, a livestock producer must file a notice of loss with FSA within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is first apparent.
LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to an adverse weather event, including hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold. The payment rate is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock. Livestock producers must provide evidence that the death of livestock was due to an eligible adverse weather event or loss condition. In addition, livestock producers should bring supporting evidence, including documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents.
To contact the Valentine FSA office, call (402) 376-1712,Ext. 2.
To learn more about LIP, visit www.farmers.gov.