WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced the beginning of open enrollment for Ohio livestock producers and other eligible farmers seeking disaster assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). The programs provide eligible producers with payments for livestock, grazing, and other losses incurred as a result of disease, severe weather, and other conditions. To be eligible for assistance, losses must have occurred on or after October 1, 2011.

“The reauthorization of these programs is crucial for Ohio’s producers to help recover their losses and get back on their feet,” Brown said. “With one in seven jobs related to agriculture in Ohio, it’s important that disaster programs are in place to help backstop producers from severe financial hardship. Thanks to passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, Ohio producers once again have access to these important resources. I encourage all eligible producers to contact their local Farm Service Agency office to begin applying for these long-awaited disaster relief funds.” 

Originally funded through the 2008 Farm Bill, the FSA’s disaster assistance programs went unauthorized for more than two years as the House of Representatives blocked passage of a multi-year Farm Bill. The FSA will now back-date assistance to cover eligible losses between 2011 and 2014. According to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERA), more than 67 percent of cattle production and nearly 75 percent of corn and soybeans crops were affected by drought in 2012.

Programs included in the reauthorization include:

  • Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP): Provides eligible livestock producers who incurred loss due to adverse weather conditions assistance in recovering from financial hardships. According to the USDA, the term “livestock” includes: beef cattle, dairy cattle, poultry, sheep, swine, horses, and other eligible animals.
  • Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): Provides eligible producers who suffered a loss in usable grazing lands due to severe weather conditions; including drought, fire, and other natural disasters, financial assistance.
  • Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP): Provides assistance to eligible producers who have lost livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish, not covered by other programs, due to disease, weather, and other conditions.
  • Tree Assistance Program (TAP): Provides assistance to eligible tree and nursery growers who have incurred losses. Funds can be used to replant or rehabilitate trees, bushes, and other plants.  

All producers who experience losses are encouraged to contact their local FSA office. In order to expedite applications, producers must provide documentation of losses and any other forms of identification requested by FSA to enroll in the program. 

Examples of such documentation include:

  • Photographs, video records, or other documentation of ownership and losses, including the number and kind of livestock lost.
  • Dates of death, along with birth recordings or purchase receipts.
  • Proof of costs of transporting livestock or other animals to new, safer areas.
  • Feed purchase records, in the case of destroyed supplies or grazing pastures.
  • Records including planting, production, and seed and fertilizer purchases.

Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. In 2014, he was part of the Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee that successfully negotiated a five-year farm bill that had been stalled for more than three years.

Ohioans can apply for assistance by contacting their local FSA office through the USDA’s Service Center Locator to set up an appointment or by calling the Ohio Farm Service Agency at (614) 255-2441. More information can be found on www.disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

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