With some extreme snow and now extreme flooding in parts of our region, it opens up the opportunity to talk about the Farm Service Agency’s Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). Lip provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather that occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2008, and before Oct. 1, 2011, including losses because of hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold. The livestock death losses must also have occurred in the calendar year for which benefits are being requested.
We spoke with Bruce Nelson, the State Executive Director for Montana FSA this week. He told us that virtually every type of livestock is covered under the program, from baby calves to adult rams to ducks. Also, there is no need to have signed up before the abnormal loss. Simply document it well (contacting your local FSA office to make sure you’ve got what they’ll need) and report the loss within 30 days.
CLICK HERE to see the LIP Fact Sheet from the FSA.
© Northern Ag Network 2011
Haylie Shipp
