Hello again, friends:
Last week I was talking about being thankful and that was re-enforced by this bit of news hitting my desk. The USDA has announced that nearly 2,500 applicants will receive disaster assistance through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for losses suffered from Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2013.
The program, re-authorized by the 2014 farm bill, provides disaster relief to livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish producers not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible losses may include excessive heat or winds, flooding, blizzards, hail, wildfires, lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, and diseases, or in the case of honeybees, losses due to colony collapse disorder.
Beekeepers, most of whom suffered honeybee colony losses, represent more than half of ELAP recipients.
The farm bill caps ELAP disaster funding at $20 million per federal fiscal year. To accommodate the number of requests, which exceeded funds available for each of the affected years, payments will be reduced to ensure all eligible applicants receive a prorated share of assistance.
Your local FSA offices are working on issuing those 2012 and 2013 ELAP payments as we write this.
If you are wondering why I didn’t talk about deer season this week, it’s because I am still waiting on my family to help me out with that adventure.
That’s all for now.
FSA Andy
