| The Farm Service Agency administers disaster programs, such as the following, to provide assistance to producers who suffer losses due to an eligible natural disaster including, but not limited to, flood and drought.
Tree Assistance Program
The Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides help to orchardists and nursery tree growers who produce trees, bushes and vines for commercial purposes, to replant or rehabilitate trees, bushes and vines damaged or destroyed by natural disasters.
Producers must have suffered more than a 15 percent death loss due to the natural disaster after adjustment for normal mortality.
Producers must also have purchased a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Eligible producers who meet the definition of "Socially Disadvantaged," "Limited Resource," or "Beginning Farmer or Rancher" do not have to meet this requirement. Applications with supporting documentation must be filed within 90 calendar days from the later of the disaster event or the date when the loss of trees, bushes or vines is apparent.
Emergency Forest Restoration Program
Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land in order to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster.
To be eligible for EFRP, land must: 1) Have existing tree cover (or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster and is suitable for growing trees); and, 2) Be owned by any nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation, or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land.
The natural disaster must create damage that, if untreated, would: 1) Impair or endanger the natural resources on the land; and, 2) Materially affect future use of the land.
Emergency Conservation Program
The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) was established to provide cost-share assistance to agricultural producers who suffer severe damage to their farmland because of a natural disaster. The damage must be of such magnitude that it would be too costly for the producer to
rehabilitate without Federal assistance.
Producers may use ECP assistance to remove farmland debris, restore fences, grade and shape land, and repair existing conservation structures damaged by drought, floods and other natural disasters and to implement emergency water conservation measures required because of severe drought.
For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must have created new conservation problems on that land. Untreated conservation damage that existed before the natural disaster is not eligible for cost-share assistance.
Livestock Forage Program
The Livestock Forage Program provides financial assistance to producers who suffer grazing losses due to drought. In order for the program to be implemented the county must be rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a drought.
To be eligible for LFP, producers must, for the grazing land incurring losses because of a qualifying drought for which assistance is being requested, have purchased a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Eligible farmers and ranchers who meet the definition of "Socially Disadvantaged," "Limited Resource," or "Beginning Farmer or Rancher," do not have to meet this requirement.
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm -Raised Fish Program
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions and is not covered under any other disaster program.
Producers are required to obtain a policy or plan of insurance equal to at least the catastrophic (CAT) level of coverage or have NAP coverage for each commodity on the farm, excluding grazing. Eligible farmers and ranchers who meet the definition of "Socially Disadvantaged," "Limited Resource," or "Beginning Farmer or Rancher" do not have to meet this requirement.
Livestock Indemnity Program
The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather that occurs before October 1, 2011 including losses because of hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold. The livestock death losses must have also occurred in the calendar year for which benefits are received.
To be eligible for LIP, a livestock producer must have legally owned the eligible livestock on the day the livestock died.
The notice of loss must be submitted the earlier of:
⢠30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock was apparent to the producer
⢠30 calendars days after the end of the calendar year in which the loss occurred.
If you become aware of any natural disasters or adverse weather conditions that could affect farmland in your area, please contact our office.
For additional information on these or other FSA programs contact the Gilmer-Calhoun FSA Office at (304) 462-7171 extension 2 or visit the office located in the Glenville Post Office Building, Room 122. Special accommodations will be made, upon request, for persons with disabilities, vision or hearing impairments. Please call if accommodations are required.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
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