U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Kay Russell, in Claiborne and Union counties recently announced that producers who suffered qualifying livestock losses due to natural disasters, including extreme cold, could be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

“LIP provides livestock producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the damaging financial impact of natural disasters,” said Russell.

LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event, including losses due to tornado, flood, blizzard, certain diseases, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold.

“A notice of loss must be filed with FSA within 30 days of when the loss of livestock is apparent,” said Russell. “Livestock that die within 60 days of the date of the eligible loss condition may be considered eligible for loss benefits if the animal died because of the eligible loss condition – and management decisions were not the cause of loss. The exception is that newborn livestock must have died no later than seven calendar days from the ending date of the applicable eligible adverse weather event. Producers must also file an application for payment no later than 90 days after the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred.”

The LIP national payment rate for eligible livestock owners is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.

According to Russell, producers should contact the Claiborne-Union County FSA office at 423-626-3811 to submit a notice of loss.

Producers are encouraged to bring supporting evidence, including documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents.

For more information on LIP, please contact the Claiborne-Union County FSA office at 423-626-3811; 1-888-257-1245, option “02” or visit FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov.