The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Montana Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farmers and ranchers of federal farm program benefits that may be available to help eligible producers recover from drought and fire.

FSA offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist agricultural producers in their recovery efforts during drought, fire or similar qualifying natural disasters. Available programs and loans include:

Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) - provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought (includes native grass for grazing). Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for 2017 crops. A notice of loss must be filed the earlier of 15 calendar days of when the loss is apparent or 15 calendar days after the normal harvest date.

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) – provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land or if a federal agency prohibits producers from grazing normally permitted livestock on federally managed lands due to qualifying fire. For 2017, producers must provide a completed application for payment and required supporting documentation to their FSA office by Jan. 30, 2018. (See article below for details and eligible 2017 LFP counties in Montana.)

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) - offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather. Eligible losses may include those determined by FSA to have been caused by wildfires, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, tropical storms, tornados, lightning, extreme heat, and extreme cold. Producers will be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent.

Tree Assistance Program (TAP) – provides assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers for qualifying tree, shrub and vine losses due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) - provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs. ELAP covers physically damaged or destroyed livestock feed that was purchased or mechanically harvested forage or feedstuffs intended for use as feed for the producer’s eligible livestock. In order to be considered eligible, harvested forage must be baled or removed from the field. Forage that is only cut, raked or windrowed in the field is not eligible. ELAP also covers up to 150 lost grazing days in instances when a producer has been forced to remove livestock from a grazing pasture due to wildfire. For beekeepers, ELAP covers beehive

losses (the physical structure) and colony losses in instances where the hive has been destroyed by a natural disaster including wildfire, flooding, high winds and tornadoes. Producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent.

Emergency Loan Program – available to producers with agriculture operations located in a county under a primary or contiguous disaster designation. These low interest loans help producers recover from production and/or physical losses. (See article below for details.)

Emergency Conservation Program - provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate land severely damaged by natural disasters, including fence loss, and implement emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought and wildfire. Submit an application at your local FSA office. (See article below for details.)

To establish or retain FSA program eligibility, farmers and ranchers must report prevented planting and failed acres (crops and grasses). Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form FSA-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

NOVEMBER 15, 2017- FINAL ACREAGE REPORTING DATE FOR 2017 PERENNIAL FORAGE

The final acreage reporting date (ARD) for 2017 perennial forage crops, including all grazing acres, is November 15, 2017. Producers that are affected by the drought or fire MUST file a 2017 acreage report by the November 15, 2017 deadline. Acreage reports filed after that date will not be accepted which will result in ineligibility for the 2017 LFP and ELAP programs.

For more information on disaster assistance programs and loans visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster or contact your local FSA Office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.