04.15.14

Hoeven: Farmers and Ranchers Can Sign-Up for Livestock Indemnity Program Beginning Today

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven announced that beginning today, April 15, North Dakota farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock losses can contact their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to sign-ups for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) today. The 2014 Farm Bill provides LIP for the life of the farm bill, including coverage for the current fiscal year, since the program expired in 2011. It covers 75 percent of the value of the animals lost with an aggregate limit of $125,000.

To expedite applications, ranchers should:

  • Contact their local FSA county office to schedule an appointment
  • Bring records and documentation of their losses
  • Sign up beginning today, April 15

“We worked hard to ensure that the new Farm Bill provides the livestock indemnity program and other livestock disaster assistance to help our producers recover losses when disasters strike,” Hoeven said. “Last October, we in the Dakotas saw firsthand how important this program is when an early blizzard hit our livestock producers hard. We appreciate the USDA implementing this program expeditiously and encourage our producers to sign-up.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today also began sign up for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP), disaster assistance programs renewed under the new, long-term Farm Bill.