U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Acting Executive Director Lindy Blankenship in Highland County announced Tuesday that producers who suffered livestock losses due to natural disasters, including fluctuations in weather, 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 Blankenship. “The fluctuations in weather 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. 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. In addition to filing a notice of loss, producers must also submit an application for payment by March 1, 2020.
Earlier this year, Congress eliminated LIP’s maximum per person and legal entity payment limitation of $125,000 per year and added compensation in the event that livestock are injured by an eligible loss condition and are sold for a reduced price.
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.
For more information on LIP, to submit a notice of loss, or to submit an application for payment, contact the Highland County FSA Office at 937-393-1921.
Submitted by Lindy Blankenship Highland County Farm Service Agency acting county executive director.
