After a dispiriting stretch of months and declining pasture
and feed resources, things are finally looking up for cattlemen grazing in
Illinois. But, it’s not too late to take advantage of the Livestock Forage
Disaster Program (LFP) from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). With an ongoing
sign up, the program helps producers with livestock forage losses associated
with drought conditions that were experienced beginning in 2012.
The 2014 Farm Bill makes the LFP a permanent program and
provides retroactive authority to cover eligible losses back to Oct. 1, 2011.
The LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers that have
suffered grazing losses for covered livestock on land used specifically for
grazing. The grazing losses must be due to a qualifying drought condition
during the normal grazing period for the county.
An eligible livestock producer must own or lease pasture
physically located in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a D2
(severe drought) or D3 (extreme drought) – almost all counties in Illinois fall
under those categories expect for a few counties in the Chicagoland area.
Livestock must have been grazed during a normal grazing period for the region
and have been owned, purchased or entered into a contract to purchase during
the 60 days prior to the beginning date of a qualifying drought.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging
producers who have suffered eligible disaster-related losses to act to secure
assistance by Sept. 30, 2014, as congressionally mandated payment reductions
will take place for producers who have not acted before that date. Livestock
producers that have experienced grazing losses since October 2011 and may be
eligible for benefits, but have not yet contacted their local FSA office should do so as soon as possible.
The Budget Control Act passed by Congress in 2011 requires
USDA to implement reductions of 7.3 percent to the LFP in the new fiscal year,
which begins Oct. 1, 2014. However, producers seeking LFP support who have
scheduled appointments with their local FSA office before Oct. 1, even if the
appointment occurs after Oct.1, will not see reductions in the amount of
disaster relief they receive.
USDA is encouraging producers to register, request an
appointment or begin a Livestock Forage Disaster Program application with their
county FSA office before Oct. 1, 2014, to lock in the current zero percent
sequestration rate. As an additional aid to qualified producers applying for
LFP, the FSA has developed an online registration that enables farmers and
ranchers to put their names on an electronic list before the deadline to avoid
reductions in their disaster assistance. This is an alternative to visiting or
contacting the county office. To place a name on the Livestock Forage Disaster
Program list online, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster-register.
Producers who already contacted the county office and have
an appointment scheduled need do nothing more.
“Almost every beef producer in Illinois that was grazing
cattle weighing more than 500 pounds during the drought should be eligible for
the LFP,” said Rick Graden, Illinois FSA Executive Officer. “Thus far, more
than $2 billion has been paid to U.S. cattlemen through the LFP and, as a
permanent program, there is still a chance for producers to receive assistance
by the Jan. 30, 2015, application deadline.”
However, with the USDA's most recent announcement, producers need to act fast to reap the program's full benefits.
Bill Graff of Middletown manages owned and rented pasture
ground across two counties and utilizes a mob grazing management system for his
cow-calf operation. He started the application process for the LFP earlier this
summer and was recently approved for payment. He was initially disappointed with
the total amount of payment he received due to the carrying capacity numbers
set in his region. However, he estimates that with the few hours he spent
reviewing his records to collect the necessary application data and the one or
two trips made to his county FSA office, the process to receive payment was
virtually “pain free” and did not take a lot of time.
“I encourage any beef producer that thinks he might quality
for the LFP to visit his county office and go through the process. The people
at FSA are good people and want to make sure things get done right so they can
get you the assistance you need,” Graff said.
A visit to your county FSA office with your herd inventory
numbers and pasture acreage certified will allow staff to fill out and submit
an application for assistance. If pasture has not been certified it’s not a problem
– a Late Filed Crop Acreage Certification can be filed free of charge. Pasture
certification is crucial in the program to determine an operation’s stocking
rate. The grazing carrying capacity for a county is established by the Illinois
State FSA Committee with assistance from Natural Resources Conservation Service
and U of I Extension grazing information.
“I know there are acres out there that producers’ graze that
are not considered part of crop land, but can be used to determine the amount
of acreage being grazed. For example, if a producer has 100 head of cows on 40
acres of pasture the LFP payment will most likely be reduced for overgrazing.
But, there are probably other areas being grazed like timber edges and creek
banks that can add acreage for a higher payment,” Graden said.
Once the application is completed, an FSA county committee
reviews the paperwork to verify that acreage and animal units correspond.
Joni Bucher of Marietta manages a cow-calf operation with a
rotational grazing system under an EQIP contract and enrolled in LFP in May;
shortly after the program was made available on Apr. 15. She was pleased with
the results – especially thanks to the work she’s done with EQIP. With her
pastures already certified through EQIP, Joni was able to prove that pasture
conditions have improved since the drought and her operation’s carrying
capacity was already outlined in her contract. Bucher went through calving and
vaccination records to determine her herd inventory at the time drought status
was declared in her county.
“Most beef producers are doing the right thing – taking care
of their cattle and their land – and should take advantage of programs that
offer assistance for the feed resources lost during the tough times of the
drought. Be honest when filling out the application and the process should go
smoothly,” Bucher said.
Graden said producers might have applied for assistance
earlier this year and were denied due to baling hay on a pasture before
grazing. FSA recognized the issue and eliminated that detail from the
submission process, so producers should resubmit their application in this
instance.
While the deadline isn’t until the end of January, Graden
recommends visiting your county office before the end of September as the FSA
work load will start increasing with the ARC PLC program.
“Scherrie Giamanco, Illinois FSA State Executive Director appreciates
the patience of livestock producers in Illinois with the LFP and encourages
cattlemen to take advantage of assistance,” Graden said.
With specific questions about the program, producers should
contact their county FSA office.
