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Archived News Articles |
| New Livestock Indemnity Program offered through Farm Service Agency The Livestock Indemnity Program is the first of the five permanent supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs administered by Farm Service Agency that will be made available through the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund. LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold. FSA offices are now accepting LIP applications for sheep losses. Losses must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2008, and before Oct. 1, 2011. It is anticipated that FSA offices will begin processing payments as of Monday, July 20, 2009. Payment rates are expected to be $130 for rams, $102 for lambs and $82 for ewes. Producers who have suffered a potentially eligible loss of livestock prior to July 13, 2009, must provide a notice of loss to the FSA office by Sept. 13, 2009. The following table provides the final dates to file a notice of loss and/or application for payment for either 2008 or 2009 livestock losses. | Date of Livestock Death | Final Date to File a Notice of Loss | Final Date to Submit an Application for Payment | | Calendar Year 2008 | Sept. 13, 2009 | Sept. 13, 2009 | | Jan. 1, 2009 to July 12, 2009 | Sept. 13, 2009 | Jan. 30, 2010 | | July 13, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009 | 30 days after death is apparent | Jan. 30, 2010 | The 2008 Farm Bill provisions require LIP payments to be made at a rate of 75 percent of the market value of the livestock on the day before the date of the death of the livestock. Payment eligibility will be based on actual losses in excess of normal mortality for the calendar year for the loss. Producers can receive up to $100,000 through disaster assistance programs.
FSA, through the state FSA offices, will establish the normal mortality rate for sheep on a state-by-state basis. Payments are only available for losses beyond normal mortality over the course of the year. For more information, please contact your FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov |
| Lamb Referendum received 85 Percent Approval By an astounding margin of 85.1 percent, the members of the U.S. sheep industry voted to continue the deduction on sheep sales to support the marketing of American lamb. These are the certified results of the nationwide vote conducted through USDA Farm Service Agency offices during month of February 2009. The lamb program is the only livestock check-off program that has producers, feeders and meat packers all contributing funds to the promotion effort. The referendum vote had to be approved on both the individual votes, as well as the volume of sheep represented. In the volume vote, a record setting 93 percent supported the referendum. "This is the second referendum since the inception of the program in 2002 and both have recorded overwhelming approval for an industry-funded lamb promotion," said Peter Orwick, executive director for the American Sheep Industry Association. "This promotion effort is designed for American lamb only and is the key to providing additional visibility for domestically grown lamb in the meat cases of the nation's retailers, as well as in the restaurant trade," Orwick added. |
Wasco Country Receives Natural Disaster Designation The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Wasco County as a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by freezing temperatures during the period of March 26 through April 20, 2008. Because their counties are contiguous, farm operators in Clackamas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jefferson, Marion, Sherman and Wheeler counties in Oregon, plus Klickitat county in Washington will also qualify for natural disaster benefits through the Farm Service Agency. These counties were designated on Sept. 20, 2008. This allows farmers eight months from the designation date to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Contact your local Farm Service Agency for more information about eligibility for low interest emergency loans.
USDA News Release, Sept. 25, 2008 |
Livestock Disaster Assistance in 2008 Farm Bill
The 2008 Farm Bill created five new disaster programs, collectively referred to as Supplemental Agriculture Disaster Assistance, including: > Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) due to losses from adverse weather or other conditions, as determined by the Secretary. > Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for eligible livestock, because of drought on land that is either native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or planted to a crop specifically for providing grazing. The LFP program will also be available to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses because of fire on rangeland managed by a Federal agency, if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland. > Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) for eligible livestock producers that incur livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality, because of adverse weather, as determined by the Secretary during the calendar year. All producers must have crop insurance or non-insured crop disaster assistance coverage to be eligible for compensation under any of the governmental disaster programs in the future, plus those listed above for 2008.
A provision of the 2008 farm bill requires that farmers and ranchers carry one or the other of the two insurance programs to be reimbursed for agricultural losses. Prior to the law’s enactment, such coverage was not mandatory. Buy-In Wavier to quality for New 2008 Disaster Programs
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COOL Compliance Affidavit Offered to Producers A group of 70 representatives from livestock and food retail organizations met recently to develop procedures for implementing the requirements of Country-of-Origin-Labeling law, which takes effect on Sept. 30, 2008. The primary objective of the meeting was to agree on universal procedures and language for using the necessary affidavits and/or declarations of Country of Origin to move origin claims along the livestock’s chain of custody/ownership to slaughter facilities to assure that meat covered commodities will be accurately labeled at retail.
This coalition of organizations developed the language for a universal Country of Origin Affidavit/Declaration of Origin document that is being recommended to the livestock industry in establishing and forwarding country of origin claims. The coalition is also recommending the document remain in effect for a period of time, rather than requiring a new affidavit each time livestock ownership is transferred. The producer affidavit, as presented to USDA, reads: As an affidavit is deemed by USDA as an official record of Country of Origin, I attest through first-hand knowledge, normal business records or producer affidavit(s) that all livestock referenced by this document or other communications specific to the transaction and transferred are of [Insert Country Name] origin. Should the origin of my livestock become other than that described above, I agree to notify the buyer/agent when this occurs. This affidavit/declaration shall remain in effect until revoked in writing by the undersigned and is delivered to [Insert Buyer/Agent].
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Crop, Feed, Livestock Loss Programs Extended Beginning on Jan. 25, 2008, eligible farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock, livestock feed and crop losses that occurred before Dec. 31, 2007, can apply to the Farm Service Agency to receive disaster payments.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 extends the Crop Disaster Program, Livestock Compensation Program and Livestock Indemnity Program to eligible farmers and ranchers who suffered 2007 crop, livestock and livestock feed losses throughout the 2007 crop year before Dec. 31, 2007.
The Farm Service Agency is now accepting applications and making payments for quantity losses before Dec. 31, 2007, under Crop Disaster Program and is currently issuing Livestock Compensation Program and Livestock Indemnity Program payments for losses up to Feb. 28, 2007, and will soon issue payments for losses incurred during the remainder of 2007. FSA will conduct sign-up and begin making payments for quality losses under CDP this spring.
The 2008 Act also extends FSA's authority to administer the Conservation Reserve Program and marketing loan benefits for wool and mohair through March 15, 2008. Under the 2002 Farm Bill, USDA‘s authority to administer these programs expired on Dec. 31, 2007.
In addition, the 2008 Act provides $3.3 billion in direct and guaranteed loan funds for FSA's Farm Loan Programs.
Information about CDP, LCP and LIP is available online at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov/ or contact your local FSA office.
To download a PDF copy of the affidavit: Click Here
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Grant County receives Natural Disaster Designation
Designation date is Dec. 10, 2007
During December, Grant County was designated as a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2007, and are continuing. Farm operators in the Baker, Crook, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Wheeler counties also qualify for natural disaster benefits because they are located in contiguous counties.
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Interested farmers may contact their local FSA office for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is also available at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
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LPRLamb Participataion On September 17, 2007, Oregon sheep producers became eligible to participate in the Livestock Risk Protection - Lamb (LRP-Lamb) Program administered by the USDA's Risk Management Agency’s (RMA). As the program approached its first anniversary, a review of participation results seems timely. 
With its development coordinated by the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), the LRP-Lamb Program is designed to insure producers against unexpected declines in market prices of slaughter lambs. As shown in Table One, we’ll next review participation results for Oregon and the U.S. during the program’s first Insurance Year, which ran from (July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008). Across the U.S., the LRP-Lamb Program was used to cover over 700,000 head across 341 policies in 22 states. The total covered liability across the nation was over $100 million with premiums totaling nearly $2.5 million and indemnities totaling just under $2.2 million. Nationally, around 2,000 head were covered per policy, and the average liability per policy was almost $294,000. Indemnities were paid on 158 policies to average $13,645 per indemnified policy. In Oregon, 26,500 head were covered across 16 policies. The total covered liability in Oregon was over $4 million with premiums totaling over $106,000 and indemnities totaling just over $73,000. Oregon producers covered 1,656 head on average per policy with the average liability per policy running just over $250,000. Indemnities were paid on 4 Oregon policies to average $18,331 per indemnified policy. Oregon producers can sign up for the LRP-Lamb Program by contacting an authorized livestock insurance agent. Once approved, coverage can be activated for a specific group of lambs by applying for and purchasing a Specific Coverage Endorsement (SCE). New coverage can only be initiated one day each week (Monday). More information about LRP-Lamb, including fact sheets, tutorials, and tools to locate an agent, can be found online at RMA’s website, www.RMA.USDA.gov/livestock, and at the ASI website, www.sheepusa.org. Producers can also get information by calling RMA’s Spokane Regional Office at 1-800-205-9953.Kole Swanser of Custom Ag Solutions (CAS) presented information about the LRP Lamb program to OSGA members at the annual meeting in November 2007. CAS delivers crop insurance and risk management education to livestock producers in partnership with USDA-RMA. Producers are encouraged to contact CAS by calling 877-227-8094 or emailing info@casnow.com to obtain more information and locate additional resources.
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Sign-Up Dates for Livestock Disaster Program Livestock producers eligible for the Livestock Compensation Program and Livestock Indemnity Program can apply for benefits beginning Sept. 10, 2007. Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) compensates livestock producers for feed losses occurring between Jan. 1, 2005, and Feb. 28, 2007, due to a natural disaster. Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) compensates livestock producers for livestock losses between the same dates. This can include producers who suffered losses resulting from blizzards that started in 2006 and continued into January 2007. Livestock producers may elect to receive LCP compensation for calendar year 2007 grazing season losses that are attributable to wildfire natural disaster occurring during the applicable period as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. Producers in primary counties declared secretarial disaster areas or certain counties declared presidential disaster areas between Jan. 1, 2005, and Feb. 28, 2007, are eligible as are producers located in counties contiguous to those counties. Producers in a primary (or contiguous) county that received an Administrator's Physical Loss Notice directly associated with a disaster declaration made by President Bush may also be eligible. Producers incurring losses in more than one of the 2005, 2006 or 2007 calendar years must choose only one year for which they want to apply for benefits. More information online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov; click on Disaster Assistance Programs. |
Five Oregon Counties designated Primary Natural Disaster Areas Designated on October 2, 2007 Baker and Wallowa counties were designated primary natural disaster areas because of losses caused by drought that occurred on May 1, 2007, and continues. Grant, Malheur, Umatilla and Union counties also qualify for natural disaster benefits because they are contiguous. areas because of losses caused by drought that occurred on May 1, 2007, and continues. Grant, Malheur, Umatilla and Union counties also qualify for natural disaster benefits because they are contiguous. Harney County was designated a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by ongoing drought and wildfires that occurred on May 1, 2007, and continuing, with Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Lake and Malheur counties also qualifying as contiguous counties. because of losses caused by ongoing drought and wildfires that occurred on May 1, 2007, and continuing, with Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Lake and Malheur counties also qualifying as contiguous counties. Malheur County is designated a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by ongoing drought and wildfires that occurred on March 1, 2007, and continuing. Baker, Grant and Harney also qualify for as contiguous counties. because of losses caused by ongoing drought and wildfires that occurred on March 1, 2007, and continuing. Baker, Grant and Harney also qualify for as contiguous counties. Union County was designated a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by drought and frost that occurred on April 1, 2007, and continuing. Baker, Grant and Umatilla and Wallowa counties also qualify for natural disaster benefits because they are contiguous. because of losses caused by drought and frost that occurred on April 1, 2007, and continuing. Baker, Grant and Umatilla and Wallowa counties also qualify for natural disaster benefits because they are contiguous. All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Oct. 2, 2007, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. For more information, contact your local FSA office.
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Livestock Risk Protection-Lamb to be offered beginning in September Sales of the new Livestock Risk Protection-Lamb (LRP-Lamb), which offers lamb producers protection against declines in price, will begin September 17, 2007. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation’s Board of Directors approved the expansion of the LRP insurance to include a lamb pilot program as requested by the American Sheep Industry Assn. on September 28, 2006. ASI and its development partners, Applied Analytics, the American Sheep & Goat Center, the Livestock Marketing Information Center and Virginia Tech, worked with the FCIC and USDA’s Risk Management Agency for nearly three years to bring this much-needed insurance product to producers. Said ASI President, Burdell Johnson, “ASI has been committed to bringing this product to culmination since October 2004. The success of the LRP-Lamb will be dependent on the support producers and feeders show. The higher the demand for the product, the greater the chance it will have to thrive and become a permanent product.” LRP-Lamb is designed to insure against unexpected declines in market prices of slaughter lambs. Sheep producers may select 13-week, 26-week or 39-week insurance periods, as well as coverage levels ranging from 80 percent to 95 percent of the expected ending value to correspond with their general feeding, production and marketing practices. LRP-Lamb may be purchased on Monday each week (as long as rates and coverage prices are available) with sales beginning at approximately 10 a.m. on Monday morning when rates and coverage prices are released and ending on that same day at 7 p.m. Central time. Preliminary rates and coverage prices may be released the Friday evening prior to the day of sales for viewing over the weekend. Note that final rates and coverage prices available for sale on Monday may be different than the preliminary estimates.LRP-Lamb must be purchased through an insurance agent. Producers may access current rates and coverage prices and all policy materials, including premium calculation instructions, on the RMA web site LRP-Lamb is available to sheep producers with lambs located in all counties of the following 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. ASI is developing an online educational/training course detailing the features of LRP-Lamb that will be available in August. It is designed as a tool for producers and agents to learn more about the product and to offer scenarios to assist with the decision to purchase the insurance. It will be available at Sheep USA As an additional service to the sheep industry and to help ensure the success of the pilot program, ASI has created an insurance agency, Food and Fiber Risk Managers LLC. (See ASI’s web site for information about this agency.)
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Parasitic Concerns in Sheep
What are internal parasites?
Internal Parasites are creatures that live off of the host animal, but do not provide any benefit to the host. There are many target organs in the animal that are affected by parasites. For Example lung worms infest the lungs, liver. Click here to View Rest of Parasite article |
New Insurance Tools for Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Beginning with the 2007 crop year, two new risk management tools for pasture, rangeland and forage will be available through USDA’s Risk Management Agency and approved insurance providers. The new Rainfall index insurance program and the Vegetation index insurance program will provide livestock producers the ability to purchase insurance protection for losses of forage produced for grazing or harvested for hay. The Rainfall index insurance program will be pilot tested in 220 counties in Colorado, Idaho, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Dakota and Texas and is based on rainfall indices as a means to measure expected production losses. The Vegetation index insurance program will be pilot tested in 110 counties in Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and South Dakota and is based on satellite imagery that determines the productivity of the acreage as a means to measure expected production losses. Together, these pilot programs will be available to provide coverage on approximately 160 million of the 640 million acres of grazing land and hay land in the United States. Both insurance products are designed to allow maximum flexibility for the producer. For instance, producers are not required to insure all their acres, but may elect to insure only those acres that are important to their grazing program or hay operation. Further, producers are not required to insure the acreage for the entire crop year. The crop year is divided into intervals and producers may elect to insure their acreage for only those intervals where the risk is the greatest. Both of these products will be available for sale from crop insurance agents beginning in late August 2006. The sales closing date is November 30, 2006. More information: http://www.rma.usda.gov/policies/pasturerangeforage/
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Oregon issues kill orders for wolves that attacked Baker County livestock Posted by Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian September 03, 2009 08:04AM
In the first wolf hunt ever authorized by Oregon officials, federal hunters with
permission to kill were tracking a pair of wolves Wednesday that have
destroyed 27 sheep, a goat and a calf in Baker County's Keating Valley since
April 10. Hunters aboard an airplane spotted the wolves at the edge of the Eagle Cap
Wilderness in northeastern Oregon but had not yet closed in on them. One of
the wolves is wearing a radio-transmitting collar, making them easier to track.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife granted a kill permit Tuesday to
Wildlife Services, the predator control division of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, and also gave rancher Curt Jacobs permission to shoot the wolves
if he catches them attacking his livestock. The permit issued to Jacobs is called
a "caught in the act" permit, Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy
said. To read the rest of the Article Click Here
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