It’s important for agricultural producers to report losses immediately as all disaster programs are dependent on the timely reporting of the loss. A notice of loss can be filed with USDA Farm Service Agency via phone, email, fax or office visit.

• ELAP – Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program: Starting in 2020, producers will have 15 days from when the loss is first apparent, instead of 30 days, to file a honeybee notice of loss. This change provides consistency between ELAP and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which also has a 15-day notice of loss period for honey. For other covered losses, including livestock feed, grazing and farm-raised fish losses, the notice of loss deadline for ELAP will remain 30 days from when the loss is first apparent to the producer.

• LIP - Livestock Indemnity Program: Submit Notice of Loss within 30 calendar days of when the loss is first apparent.

• NAP – Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program: Submit Notice of Loss within 15 calendar days of the earlier of a natural disaster occurrence, the final planting date if planting is prevented by a natural disaster, the date that damage to the crop or loss of production becomes apparent; or the normal harvest date. Note: A producer’s signature is required on form CCC-576 when a Notice of Loss is submitted.

• TAP - Tree Assistance Program: Final Date to Submit an Application and Supporting Documentation within 90 calendar days of: the disaster event or the date when the loss is apparent to the producer.

Contact the local FSA office for assistance at (406) 323-2067 or stop by the office at 747 Main Street in Roundup, MT and visit FSA online at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/mt and/or http://www.farmers.gov.

FSA Wildfire Recovery Assistance

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist Montana farmers and ranchers in your recovery efforts following wildfires or other qualifying natural disasters.

Available programs and loans include:

• Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) - offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality as well as injured livestock that were sold at a reduced price due to adverse weather.

• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) - provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs.

• Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) - provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate land severely damaged by natural disasters; includes fence loss.

• Emergency Loan Program – available to producers with agriculture operations located in a county under a primary or contiguous Presidential or Secretarial disaster designation. These low interest loans help producers recover from production and physical losses.

• Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) – provides payments to owners of non-industrial private forests to restore disaster damaged forests.

• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) - provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought (includes native grass for grazing).

• Tree Assistance Program (TAP) – provides assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers for qualifying tree, shrub and vine losses due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought.

For more information on these programs, contact your local FSA office or visit farmers.gov/recover.

How to Document Wildfire Losses

If you’ve suffered excessive livestock death losses, grazing or feed losses or had to sell your injured livestock due to recent wildfires, you may be eligible for disaster assistance programs through the USDA Farm Service Agency.

The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) offers payments to you for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality and also offers payments for injured livestock that were sold at a reduced price within 30 days due to adverse weather. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, adverse weather, or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs.

To participate in LIP, you must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent and you will be required to provide acceptable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event, and sales receipts for livestock that have been sold at a reduced price due to injury within 30 days of the end of the disaster event.

To participate in ELAP, you must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent and should maintain documentation and receipts.

You should record all pertinent information regarding livestock losses due to the eligible adverse weather or loss condition, including:

• Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock that have died or were sold, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses;

• Sales receipts for livestock that have been sold at a reduced price due to injury within 30 days of the end of the disaster event.

• Rendering truck receipts by kind, type and weight - important to document prior to disposal;

• Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts;

• Documentation from Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of Natural Resources, or other sources to substantiate eligible death losses due to an eligible loss condition;

• Documentation that livestock were removed from grazing pastures due to an eligible adverse weather or loss condition;

• Costs of transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock, such as receipts for equipment rental fees for hay lifts and snow removal;

• Feed purchase receipts if feed supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed;

• Number of gallons of water transported to livestock due to water shortages.

For more information on these programs and documentation requirements, contact your local USDA Service Center and/or visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster.