What's up at the FSA Office?

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

NOTE: Service Agency County Committee nomination period began June 15 and ends August 1, 2014.
The LAA for elections this year include the townships of Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton and Fairview. Donald McCormick presently is the member of the Allamakee County Committee. Mr. McCormick has served three three-year terms and cannot run for re-election. The Allamakee County FSA Office is in search of persons interested in serving on the Allamakee County Committee starting January 1, 2015 for a three-year term.
To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area where the person is nominated.
 Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others. Organizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomination form, FSA-669A. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. Nomination forms for the 2014 election must be postmarked or received in the Allamakee County FSA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 1, 2014. Elections will take place this fall.
While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operating loans, they make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms. Nationwide, there are about 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members that are elected by eligible producers.
FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters beginning November 3, 2014. Ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by December 1, 2014. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office January 1, 2015.
For more information about the Allamakee County FSA elections for the county committee member, call 563-568-2148.

IMPORTANT: June 9, 2014 – August 8, 2014 – CRP contracts expiring September 30, 2014 can be extended for one year. Not for 15-year contracts. CRP producers should have received a letter from Kansas City in regards to their CRP contract expiring October 1, 2014. There is an option to extend the contract for one year for the same rental rate. You may modify the acres to fewer acres, but cannot increase acres for this one year. Contact the Allamakee County FSA Office for more details.
There will be no General CRP Sign-up for 2014.

Reminders
April 15, 2014 – January 30, 2015 sign-up for the LIP/LFP/ELAP/TAP programs.
June 9, 2014 – September 30, 2014 – CRP Continuous CRP Sign-up 46.
November 1, 2014 – December 30, 2015 – Forage, pasture, grasses certification due for spring 2015 year. Late file fee will apply, no waivers.

Livestock Forage Disaster Program
Eligible livestock types under LFP include alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep or swine that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland:
• During the normal grazing period for the specific type of grazing land or pastureland for the county, or;
• When the federal agency excluded the livestock producer from grazing the normally permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to fire.
• For grazing losses that occurred between October 1, 2011 through December 31, 2014, sign-up began April 15, 2014 and ends January 30, 2015. For 2015 and subsequent calendar years, producers must provide a completed application for payment and required supporting documentation to their FSA office within 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the grazing loss occurred.
• The producer should include a copy of the grower contract if the producer is a contract grower and any other supporting documents required for determining eligibility. Supporting documents must show evidence of loss, current physical location of livestock in inventory, evidence that grazing land or pastureland is owned or leased and evidence that if the loss of grazing was due to a fire that the producer was prohibited by the federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a fire.
Please contact the Allamakee County FSA Office for more information at 563-568-2148.

Livestock Indemnity Program
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) authorized the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) to provide benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather. In addition, LIP covers attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves and avian predators. LIP payments are equal to 75 percent of the market value of the applicable livestock on the day before the date of death of the livestock as determined by the Secretary.
The 2014 Farm Bill makes LIP a permanent program and provides retroactive authority to cover eligible livestock losses back to October 1, 2011.
LIP is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
To be eligible for LIP, a livestock producer must have legally owned the eligible livestock on the day the livestock died.
 To be eligible for LIP, an owner’s livestock must:  
• Have died as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event or eligible attack by an eligible animal or avian predator occurring on or after October 1, 2011, and no later than 60 calendar days from the ending date of the applicable adverse weather event and in the calendar year for which benefits are requested.
• Have been maintained for commercial use as part of a farming operation on the day they died, and;
• Not have been produced for reasons other than commercial use as part of a farming operation. Excluded livestock includes wild free roaming animals, pets or animals used for recreational purposes, such as hunting, roping or for show.
  To be eligible for LIP, a contract grower must have had the following on the day the livestock died:
• Possession and control of the eligible livestock, and;
• A written agreement with the eligible livestock owner setting the specific terms, conditions and obligations of the parties involved regarding the production of livestock.
In addition to the requirements listed for livestock owners above, the only eligible livestock of contract growers under LIP are poultry and swine.
LIP payments are calculated by multiplying the national payment rate for each livestock category by the number of eligible livestock in each category.
LIP national payment rate for eligible livestock owners is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.
The LIP national payment rate for eligible livestock contract growers is based on 75 percent of the average income loss sustained by the contract grower with respect to the dead livestock.
A contract grower’s LIP payment will be reduced by the amount of monetary compensation received from his/her contractor for the loss of income suffered from the death of livestock under contract.
Producers may apply to receive LIP benefits at local FSA offices.
Producers who suffer livestock death losses should submit a notice of loss and an application for payment to the local FSA office that maintains their farm records.
To be eligible, the notice of loss must be submitted the earlier of:
• 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent to the producer, or;
• 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the loss of livestock occurred.
For livestock deaths that occurred between October 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014, the deadline to file a notice of the loss and an application for payment is January 30, 2015.
For livestock deaths that occur during calendar year 2015 and after, the deadline to file notice of the death is 30 after the death is discovered. The deadline to submit an application for payment is January 30 the following calendar year.
 The producer must include a copy of the grower contract if he/she is a contract grower and any other supporting documents required for determining eligibility. Supporting documents must show evidence of loss, current physical location of livestock in inventory and location of the livestock at the time of death.
Payments may be made for eligible losses suffered by an eligible producer who is now deceased or for a dissolved entity if a currently authorized representative signs the application for payment. Proof of authority to sign for a deceased individual or dissolved entity must be provided. If a producer is a dissolved entity, all former members at the time of dissolution or their duly authorized representative(s) must sign the application for payment.
Documentation requirements for livestock deaths that occurred between October 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014 have been relaxed from the rules outlined below. Contact a local FSA county office for additional information.
Livestock owners should record all pertinent information of livestock death losses due to adverse weather and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law.
Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by such items as, but not limited to:
• Photographs or video records to document the loss, dated if possible;
• Purchase records, veterinarian records, production records, bank or other loan documents;
• Written contracts, records assembled for tax purposes, private insurance documents and other similar reliable documents.
Applicants must provide adequate proof that the eligible livestock deaths occurred as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event or eligible attack by an eligible animal or avian predator in the calendar year for which benefits are being requested. The quantity and kind of livestock that died as a direct result of the eligible event may be documented by:
• Purchase records;
• Veterinarian records;
• Bank or other loan documents;
• Rendering truck receipts or certificates;
• Federal Emergency Management Agency records;
• National Guard records;
• Written contracts;
• Production records;
• Records assembled for tax purposes;
• Property tax records;
• Private insurance documents;
• Similar documents.
If adequate verifiable proof of death records documentation is not available, FSA will accept reliable records in conjunction with verifiable beginning and ending inventory records as proof of death. Reliable records may include, but are not limited to:
• Contemporaneous producer records existing at the time of the adverse weather event;
• Picture(s) with a date;
• Brand inspection records;
• Dairy herd improvement records;
• Similar reliable documents.
FSA will accept certifications of livestock deaths by third parties on form CCC-854 along with verifiable beginning and ending inventory documentation if the following conditions are met:
• There is no other documentation of death available;
• The number of livestock in inventory at the time of the adverse weather event.
• The third party provides their telephone number, address and a written statement containing:
- Specific details about their knowledge of the livestock deaths;
- Their affiliation with the livestock owner;
- The accuracy of the deaths claimed by the livestock owner.
FSA will use data furnished by the applicant to determine eligibility for program benefits. Furnishing the data is voluntary, however, without all required data program benefits will not be approved or provided.
For more information contact the Allamakee County FSA Office at 563-568-2148.