Indemnity Program Deadline Nears

Only one week remains for producers who have suffered a potentially eligible loss of livestock between Jan. 1, 2008, and July 13, 2009, to provide notice of the loss to the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Sept. 13, 2009, is that deadline.

"These payments are extremely important as sheep producers restock from the difficult winters in 2008 and 2009," commented Peter Orwick, executive director for the American Sheep Industry Association. "We want to make sure that the Sept. 13 date does not slip by."

The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) is designed to provide assistance to livestock producers for livestock deaths that result from disaster. LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold. Drought is not a qualifying event for this program. Eligible losses must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2008, and before Oct. 1, 2011.

Fair market values established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's market news and the FSA for sheep are $107.24 for rams, $82.49 for all ewes and $104.58 for lambs lost and the indemnity rate is 75 percent of the value.

For losses occurring after July 13, 2009, producers have 30 days after the apparent death of the livestock to file a notice of loss to the FSA office.

Staff contact: Peter Orwick, ext. 33