LIP provides benefits to eligible livestock producers for injury to livestock and deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible adverse weather events. Many counties in Washington have been experiencing extreme weather conditions.
Livestock producers must provide a Notice of Loss (NOL) for each eligible adverse weather event within 30 days of when the loss became apparent to the producer. The eligible livestock owner must show with documentation and evidence that the eligible adverse weather event was directly responsible for the injury or death of the livestock. Evidence and documentation may include but are not limited to: (preferably dated) photographs, veterinarian statements, rendering truck receipts or certificates, insurance documents. Cellphone cameras make it easy to take photographs for documentation.
The Franklin County FSA Committee has recognized February 9 and 10, 2019 as meeting blizzard conditions as defined in LIP policy. Livestock losses occurring because of this two-day event would require a Notice-of-Loss be filed with our office no later than March 12, 2019. If livestock losses occurred for other reasons than the above defined blizzard or in addition to it, file the NOL “within 30 days of when the loss or losses became apparent”.
Please understand that the LIP Step 1 process, of filing an NOL, is a short simple report that can be taken over the phone or through email to avoid producers having to come to town to inform us of losses. This gives impacted ranchers more time to protect livestock during the continued adverse winter weather period and for the Step 2, LIP Application for Payment process of gathering factual evidence of livestock loss as mentioned above. The more detailed Step 2, application for payment process deadline for a 2019 calendar year loss is March 1, 2020.
We have an informative packet explaining the LIP program which contains the NOL portion of the form we’ll need ranchers to sign as well as a fact sheet and other important fact gathering information. This packet can be emailed, sent by regular mail or provided over the counter.
If you are a livestock producer and believe you are experiencing livestock injury or deaths due to an eligible weather event, please contact the Franklin County FSA for more details.