USDA announces assistance for producers impacted by recent blizzards in Carter County

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Samantha Wright in Carter County recently announced that producers who suffered livestock losses due to natural disasters, including blizzard, may be eligible for 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 Wright. “The blizzard has really had a significant impact on some livestock producers and we encourage them to reach out to our office.”

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, or reduced sale prices for owned livestock due to injury from an eligible loss condition. The payment rate is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.

A livestock producer must file a notice of loss within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is first apparent. For 2022 losses, producers must also file an application for payment by March 1, 2023.

Effective with the 2018 Farm Bill, there is no longer a per person and legal entity payment limitation for LIP.

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. Owners who sold injured livestock for a reduced price because the livestock was injured due to an adverse weather event, must provide verifiable evidence of the reduced sale of the livestock.

Producers may apply for LIP benefits at the local FSA office. For more information on LIP, to submit a notice of loss or to submit an application for payment, please contact the Carter County FSA office at 406.775.6355 or visit FSA online at https://www.farmers.gov/recover.