Livestock producers that suffered losses due to natural disaster are urged to keep thorough records of all losses, including livestock death losses, as well as expenses for such things as feed purchases and extraordinary costs because of lost supplies or increased transportation costs.
USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Aaron Krauter said that both versions of the pending Farm Bills contain a reauthorization of the lapsed disaster programs such as the Livestock Indemnity Program that are retroactive for losses occurring from October 2011. “We’re optimistic that a Farm Bill will be passed and we’ll be able to provide that strong safety net for producers,” Krauter said. “While we can’t accept documentation in FSA offices until the programs are reauthorized, it’s extremely important that farmers and ranchers affected by adverse weather events keep thorough records of their losses.”
Owners and producers should record all pertinent information of natural disaster consequences, including:
Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses;
Dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts;
Costs of transporting livestock to safer grounds or to move animals to new pastures;
Feed purchases if supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed;
Crop records, including seed and fertilizer purchases, planting and production records;
Pictures of on-farm storage facilities that were destroyed by an adverse weather event; and
Evidence of damaged farm land
Producers with damaged farmland should contact their local FSA office regarding the Emergency Conservation Program, and producers with private forest land should contact FSA regarding the Emergency Forest Reserve Program.
FSA’s authority to operate the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, including SURE, LIP, ELAP, LFP and TAP expired on September 30, 2011.
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