Sheep Producers Benefit from LCP Payments

Sheep Producers Benefit from LCP Payments

The Livestock Compensation Program (LCP), a program extended under the Agricultural Assistance Act of 2003, has completed the second and final round of payments to eligible sheep and goat producers.

The program extension expanded the LCP to all counties that were ineligible for the initial program in the fall of 2002, but were declared disaster areas before Feb. 20, 2003. Under this program, producers were compensated for damages and losses due to natural disasters, such as drought. The payment rate secured for sheep and goats is $4.50 per head.

An additional 8,313 sheep producers in 49 states and Puerto Rico applied for funds through the LCP in 2003. They received nearly $3.4 million in assistance on 717,704 head. In comparison, the 2002 program issued $25.7 million to 29,044 producers in 42 states on 5,640,054 head.

Goat producers from all 50 states and Puerto Rico also took advantage of this supplemental assistance with an additional 8,102 producers receiving nearly $1.3 million on 274,183 head. A total of 30,649 goat producers from 42 states received $8 million on 1,765,524 head from the 2002 LCP payments.

According to Peter Orwick, executive director of the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), ?The LCP payments were crucial for sheep producers in drought-stricken areas who needed financing to bring feed to sheep or to ship the sheep to the feed. ASI also included goat producers in its request for the LCP and has had positive feedback from those growers as well. Between the sheep and goat producers, a total of $38.4 million was received through the LCP. We greatly appreciate the Bush Administration and Congress for providing much needed benefits to those in eligible counties.?

Staff contact: Peter Orwick, ext. 33

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