Good News on Last Winter’s Livestock Losses

by

At the Montana Stockgrowers Convention, there was good news for stockmen who lost cattle due to the past hard winter.

If you can document worse losses than normal, the “Livestock Indemnity Program” provides compensation of 75{c78344d3e29215303d5d40d52b11c16d78bfae3d066d03ae10a9b147abb03b47} of the market value, which translates to a payment rate on an adult cow of $984, and on a baby calf $469.

A livestock owner had to file a Notice of Loss by December 3rd,which many did, and so far FSA has paid out about $3. Million for losses in 2017 and 2018 combined.

The problem was that the USDA rules for an “Adverse Weather Event” addressed only specific storms of 3 days in length, so many application were rejected because losses were over a longer period.

The Montana Stockgrowers have been back in Washington asking for reconsideration of that Rule, and Montana’s Farm Service Agency has been working on that issue all fall.  State FSA Director Mike Foster said that in September he asked for a waiver from the USDA that would recognize that the whole winter last year would be a “qualifying weather event”.   They were denied, so he submitted a Request for Reconsideration. 

Fortunately that last request went to the newly-appointed Deputy Administrator of Farm Programs…a man named Bill Beam, who is a cattle owner himself from Pennsylvania…and he gets it! 

Mike Foster was very pleased to announce that they have just received a decision on that request, and have been granted tremendously more leeway on the weather criteria under the LIP program!

Which should mean that all of you who submitted your Notice of Loss by December 3rd, with records documenting your death loss of last winter will be re-considered and your chances of reimbursement are much improved!

Here’s a link to a USDA Fact Sheet with all details on the Livestock Indemnity Program: 

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2018/livestock_indemnity_program_fact_sheet-may_2018.pdf 

###

Northern Ag Network

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x