News

USDA disaster assistance progress report

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA has processed 106,000 payments to farmers in 40 states who suffered livestock and grazing losses since October of 2011.  These were losses incurred between the lapse of the old farm bill coverage and passage of the new farm bill.

 

Enrollment for the four disaster assistance programs opened on April 15th, 60 days after passage of the Farm Bill.  The first payments were sent out within two weeks of enrollment. 

 

So far, the Farm Service Agency has processed over $1.2 billion in payments.  It is estimated some $2.5 billion in total will be paid to cover losses through the end of Fiscal Year in September.

 

The disaster assistance programs are the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP).