USDA Update – February 7, 2025

Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• 2024 Livestock Forage Program – Kiowa, Prowers, Baca eligible for one month payment. DEADLINE TO APPLY – March 3, 2025
• ELAP and LIP – submitting a notice of loss deadline – March 3, 2025
• 2025 ARCPLC Election and Enrollment - January 21 through April 15, 2025
• Grazing for Contract Management - livestock must be removed before March 14, 2025.

UPCOMING SERVICE CENTER CLOSURES:

• Monday, February 17^th, President’s Day

Disclaimer: Information in this UPDATE is pertinent to Kiowa County FSA only. Producers reading this and that do not have FSA interest in Kiowa County are advised to contact their local FSA Office.

LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM EXTENSION

The 2024 LFP signup has been extended to March 3, 2025.

KIOWA, PROWERS and BACA COUNTIES ELIGIBLE FOR 2024 LFP

DEADLINE TO APPLY: MARCH 3, 2025

Due to an extended grazing period in Colorado, Kiowa, Prowers and Baca counties became eligible for a one-month payment on native grass for LFP or Livestock Forage Program for 2024. To be considered eligible for LFP a livestock producer must have risk and control in both:

Eligible livestock -

• livestock that were or would have been grazing on native grass. Livestock located in feedlots are not eligible.
• must have been owned, leased, purchased, entered a contract to purchase, or held by a contract grower during the 60 days prior to the beginning date of a qualifying date.
• Have been maintained for commercial use.

Eligible producer –

• Own, cash or share lease or be a contract grower of covered livestock during the 60 calendar days before the beginning date of a qualifying drought.
• Provide pastureland for covered livestock, including cash-rented land that is physically located in a county affected by a qualifying drought.
• Certify that they suffered a grazing loss because of a qualifying drought.
• Timely file an acreage report for all grazing land for which grazing loss is being claimed.

NOTE: If a producer has grazing land that is physically in Kiowa, but another FSA office administers the land, the producer must apply for LFP in that administrative FSA office.

OTHER DISASTER PROGRAM DEADLINES

EMERGENCY LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM or LIP

Final date to submit a notice of loss for 2024 calendar year is March 3, 2025

Program Features

• Covered Losses
  • Livestock losses due to eligible disease, certain adverse weather, and feed and water shortages.
  • Honey bee colony, hive, and feed losses due to colony collapse disorder, eligible adverse weather, and other conditions.
  • Farm-raised fish death losses due to eligible disease, adverse weather, and other qualifying conditions.
• Payment Rates: Payments are based on a percentage of the fair market value of the livestock, honey bees, or fish lost, as well as the cost of feed and water shortages. Specific rates are detailed in program guidelines.
• Documentation Requirements: Producers must provide verifiable documentation of losses and the conditions causing the losses. This may include veterinary records, feed and water receipts, purchase records, and other supporting documents.

Additional ELAP Benefits

• Comprehensive Coverage: ELAP covers a wide range of losses and conditions not addressed by other disaster assistance programs, providing crucial support for diverse agricultural operations.
• Economic Stability: By compensating for significant losses, ELAP helps ensure the economic stability of livestock, honey bee, and farm-raised fish producers.
• Risk Management: ELAP is part of the USDA’s suite of disaster assistance programs designed to help producers manage risk and sustain their operations through adverse conditions.

There is a decision tool on Farmers.gov website @ https://www.farmraise.com/usda-fsa/disaster-programs/elap-decision-tool.

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM or LIP

Final date to submit a notice of loss for 2024 calendar year is March 3, 2025

LIP provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or by attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the Federal Government. LIP payments are equal to 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.

An eligible loss condition includes any of the following that occur in the calendar year for which benefits are requested:

• Eligible adverse weather event;
• Eligible disease; and
• Eligible attack.

Eligible adverse weather event means extreme or abnormal damaging weather that is not expected to occur during the loss period for which it occurred, which directly results in eligible livestock losses.

An eligible adverse weather event must occur in the calendar year for which benefits are requested. Eligible adverse weather events include, but are not limited to, as determined by the FSA Deputy Administrator of Farm Programs or designee, earthquake; hail; lightning; tornado; tropical storm; typhoon; vog, if directly related to a volcanic eruption; winter storm, if the winter storm lasts for three consecutive days and is accompanied by high winds, freezing rain or sleet, heavy snowfall and extremely cold temperatures; hurricanes; floods; blizzards; wildfires; extreme heat; extreme cold; and straight-line winds. Drought is not an eligible adverse weather event except when associated with anthrax, a condition that occurs because of drought and results in the death of eligible livestock.

APPLYING FOR LIP

Owners or contract growers may apply to receive LIP benefits at local FSA offices.

Owners or contract growers who suffer livestock losses due to an eligible cause of loss must submit a notice of loss and an application for payment to the local FSA office that serves the physical location county where the livestock losses occurred. All of the owner’s or contract grower’s interest in inventory of eligible livestock in that county for the calendar year must be accounted for and summarized when determining eligibility.

An owner or contract grower must file a notice of loss, an application for payment, and supporting documents by March 1 following the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred.

For 2024 LIP losses, livestock owners and contract growers may apply for 2024 LIP benefits in the physical location county where the loss occurred.

There is also a LIP decision tool located @ https://www.farmraise.com/usda-fsa/lip-decision-tool