Ag department offers disaster assistance to agricultural producers

BANGOR — Agricultural operations in Maine have been significantly impacted by recent winter storms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events.

Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.

USDA Disaster Recovery Assistance Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program. To participate in LIP, producers will have to provide acceptable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to the USDA Farm Service Agency no later than the annual program payment application date, which is 60 calendar days following the calendar year in which the loss occurred.  The LIP payment application and notice of loss deadline is Feb. 29 for the 2023 calendar year and March 3, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses. In some cases, LIP benefits are available for eligible losses because of extreme cold. Extreme cold temperature thresholds are state-specific and are set by the FSA State Committee for each livestock category (kind/type and weight range of eligible livestock). Livestock producers who experience losses related to extreme cold should check with their local FSA office for LIP eligibility criteria, according to a news release from the Farm Service Agency in Bangor.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for feed and grazing losses. ELAP also includes costs associated with equipment rental fees for hay lifts and snow removal. For ELAP, producers are required to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no later than the annual program application deadline, Jan. 30, for the 2023 calendar year and Jan 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.

Additionally, eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers may be eligible for cost-share assistance through the Tree Assistance Program to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes or vines. TAP complements the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program or crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases. For TAP, a program application must be filed within 90 days of the disaster event or the date when the loss of the trees, bushes or vines is apparent.

“Once you are able to evaluate the impact on your operation, be sure to contact your local county FSA office to timely report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses,” said Sherry Hamel, state executive director for FSA in Maine. “To expedite FSA disaster assistance, you will likely need to provide documents, such as farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses.”

FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Depending on program funding availability, producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs. Additionally, FSA offers several loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.

Risk Management Producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA’s NAP should report crop damage to their crop insurance agent or FSA office. If they have crop insurance, producers should provide a notice of loss to their agent within 72 hours of initial discovery of damage and follow up in writing within 15 days. For NAP covered crops, a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) must be filed within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.

“Crop insurance and other USDA risk management options are offered to help producers manage risk because we never know what nature has in store for the future,” said Alexander Sereno, director of RMA’s Regional Office that covers Maine. “The Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and agents are experienced and well-trained in handling these types of events.”

Conservation FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance to restore fencing, damaged farmland or forests, and remove snow from feed stocks, water supplies and feeding areas.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is always available to provide technical assistance during the recovery process by assisting producers to plan and implement conservation practices on farms, ranches and working forests impacted by natural disasters. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program can help producers plan and implement conservation practices on land impacted by natural disasters.

“USDA can be a very valuable partner to help landowners with their recovery and resiliency efforts,” said Peter Beloff, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in Maine. “Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop approaches that focus on effective recovery of the land.”

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by winter storms. Those resources include the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool. For FSA and NRCS programs, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent.