he FSA wanted to remind livestock producers about the Livestock Indemnity Program. LIP is a disaster program by the 2014 Farm Bill to provide benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather including extreme cold.
To be eligible for LIP, a livestock producer must have legally owned the eligible livestock on the day the livestock died. Contract growers of livestock are also eligible for benefits. A producer must file a notice of loss with the county office the earlier of 30 days of when the loss of livestock is apparent to the producer.
Livestock owners should record all pertinent information of livestock death losses due to adverse weather. Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by such items as, but not limited to: photographs, dated if possible; purchase records, veterinarian records, production records, bank or other loan documents; records assembled for tax purposes, or private insurance documents.
For livestock losses due to extreme cold, the Jasper County Committee will determine the cause of loss was because of extreme cold, management decisions were not the cause of loss, and the extreme cold was such an abnormality that it could have reasonable caused the livestock deaths. Producers will also need to submit the approximate age, weight and condition of animals that died, details on any shelter or windbreaks the livestock had access to, and any management efforts done to mitigate the situation.
For additional questions, contact the Jasper County FSA at 641-792-5019.