Weather disaster help availableWeather disaster help available
Ranchers should consider getting some relief for livestock losses due to severe weather through USDA’s indemnity program.
January 24, 2025

With the extreme winter weather hitting wide areas of the U.S., beef producers are reminded there’s help available through USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
The Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) said recently livestock producers impacted by the recent winter weather should consider using LIP. The program provides reimbursement for a portion of the value of livestock lost more than normal mortality due to a qualifying disaster event such as a blizzard, wildfire, or severe storm.
The payment rate is 75% of the market value based on a national average for the type, kind, and weight of livestock.
KLA noted that producers will need to have records on hand showing inventory the day before the adverse weather event occurred and provide documentation of losses. A notice of loss and application for payment must be submitted no later than 60 days after the calendar year in which the loss occurred.
To be eligible for LIP:
• A livestock owner must have legally owned the livestock on the day the livestock died and/or were injured by an eligible loss condition
• An owner’s livestock must have either: Died over normal mortality as a direct result of an eligible loss condition or been injured as a direct result of an eligible loss condition and were subsequently sold within 30 days at a reduced price.
LIP is a product of current Farm Bill legislation and is administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). The agency advises that the occurrence of an eligible loss condition in and by itself does not determine eligibility for eligible livestock losses. The livestock owner or contract grower must provide acceptable evidence that the eligible cause of loss not only occurred but directly caused the loss or death.
To help producers apply for assistance under LIP, FSA has partnered with FarmRaise to develop an online decision making tool. It is intended to help producers gather information and documentation before they meet with a local USDA service provider. FarmRaise is a team of agricultural advisors collaborating with USDA to make the LIP application process easier and more efficient.
The decision making tool takes about five minutes to complete. Responses and uploaded documentation will be emailed back to the prospective applicant so they can forward the information to an FSA representative before an in-person appointment.
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