Remember: Experts suggest producers document everything following a drought or natural disaster. Be sure to document all that has transpired, and all damages that occurred. This will aid in your qualification for funding or relief. This guide provided by Rural Advancement Foundation International can help you understand the best way to document your losses.
The most essential step after documentation is contacting your local FSA (Farm Service Agency) office. You can speak with an expert there that will help you understand which relief programs you may qualify for at that point in time. Find your center by visiting the Service Center Locator.
Tools
1. The USDA’s Disaster Assistance Recovery Tool is a good place to start when looking for programs on your own. You can also try their Farm Loan Discovery Tool.
2. The U.S. Drought Monitor is a live map and tool updated every Thursday that shows parts of the U.S. currently in drought, or areas expected to incur drought. It is a joint effort by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the USDA.
Current Relief Programs
3. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (or ELAP) provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock for losses due to disease, adverse weather events or loss conditions such as drought.
Part of ELAP is an Excel-based tool which can help you document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs associated with drought.
Learn more about ELAP before contacting your local FSA office by visiting the ELAP Livestock Fact Sheet or visit their full website.
4. The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides benefits to livestock producers for deaths of livestock that exceed the normal mortality rates caused by adverse weather conditions or animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government. Learn more about this program before contacting your local FSA office by reading the fact sheet on their website.
Photo Credit: USDA
