Enroll for livestock disaster assistance by Oct. 1

Livestock producers who have not enrolled for disaster assistance, but have experienced grazing losses due to drought or fire since October 2011, are encouraged to enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Livestock Forage Disaster Program by Oct. 1, 2014.

USDA implemented reductions of 7.3 percent to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (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 will not see reductions in the amount of disaster relief they receive, according to the USDA.

Register, request an appointment or begin a Livestock Forage Disaster Program application with the county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office before Oct. 1 to lock in the current zero percent sequestration rate. An online registration enables farmers to add their names to an electronic list before the deadline to avoid reductions in disaster assistance.

Reminder: Producers who have already contacted their county FSA office and scheduled an appointment need do nothing more at this time.

To learn more about USDA disaster relief program, producers can review the 2014 Farm Bill fact sheet at www.fsa.usda.gov/farmbill, the LFP program fact sheet, http://go.usa.gov/5JTk, or contact their local FSA office.