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New Jersey State FSA Bulletin -  January 31, 2025

USDA Aligns Deadlines, Streamlining Delivery of Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs Deadlines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated three livestock disaster assistance programs to synchronize deadlines and streamline program delivery. The changes take effect for the 2024 program applications for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). 

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting applications for ELAP, LFP and LIP until March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the disaster circumstances occurred. For 2024 program applications, which are being accepted at FSA offices across the nation right now, the deadline to apply for this assistance is March 3, 2025, because March 1 falls on a Saturday. 

ELAP Policy Clarification 

FSA is clarifying the feed transportation provisions of the program. In 2022, ELAP policy was revised to recognize the impact of adverse weather, including drought, on producer expenses associated with the need to transport feed to livestock, or livestock to new forage resources. To be eligible for assistance, producers must have a loss resulting from the cost to transport livestock feed to eligible livestock for mileage above normal or transport livestock to feed resources outside the adversely impacted area. The policy clarifies what is considered an eligible feed expense under the feed transportation provisions and what is considered eligible documentation for claiming feed transportation expenses. This clarification also provides a program standard for calculating feed transportation costs based on the expected feed needs of eligible animals.

Programs Overview  ELAP provides financial assistance to producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish to assist with the impacts of adverse weather and disease that are not covered by other FSA programs. ELAP also helps dairy producers who incur milk production losses due to H5N1 infections in their dairy herds. LFP provides financial assistance to livestock producers who suffer eligible grazing losses on land impacted by qualifying droughts or are restricted from grazing federally managed lands due to wildfire. LIP provides financial assistance to producers who face livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather or attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government.  More Information  The updates to ELAP, LFP and LIP are detailed in this Jan. 17, 2025, notice in the Federal Register.  Producers who have questions about these program policy changes, including producers who previously submitted ELAP, LFP or LIP applications for 2024, should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center for additional information prior to the March 3, 2025, application deadline.