Agricultural News
Persistant Drought Makes Oklahoma Top Livestock Forage Program Recipient as Signup Continues
Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:38:10 CDT
Oklahoma is clearly number one- and it is not even close, at least when you are considering the payments received by ranchers across the country for the Livestock Forage Program. The LFP is one of four disaster programs that were not fully funded by the 2008 Farm Law- and expired a full year before the rest of the bill. Under the leadership of House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, these programs were reinstated and made permanent- and USDA began sign up for these programs April 15th.
Ranchers were able to make claims under the LFP program back to October first of 2011- and more than a half billion dollars has been paid to Oklahoma producers since mid April. That is far and away the most that has been paid out in any single state. Over $2.5 billion has been paid to ranchers nationally for the three fiscal years, with program sign up open until January 30, 2015.
The top states for total LFP payments(through the end of August) include the following:
Oklahoma $553,402,833
Texas $326,625,954
Nebraska $242,818,553
Missouri $219,045,339
Kansas $207,960,205.
The persistant drought over the last three years can be seen in the payments made to Oklahoma producers, with Fiscal Year 2012 payments totalling $211 million, Fiscal Yerar 2013 payments at over $209 million and fiscal year 2014 at $132 million. (To see a complete rundown of the payments nationally, click on the PDF link at the bottom of this story.)
To be eligible for disaster assistance programs under the 2014 Farm Bill, producers are no longer required to purchase crop insurance or NAP coverage, which was the risk management purchase mandate under the 2008 Farm Bill.
According to State FSA Executive Director Francie Tolle, Oklahoma may be only half done when it comes to the total amount that could be paid under these three fiscal years. She adds that if a producer has not yet contacted their local FSA office, they should do so before the end of business on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 to avoid a budget sequster mandated reduction in the payment that would eventually be paid out for any claims of 7.3%.
Farm Director Ron Hays talked with Tolle at the end of this past week- and she was his guest on this past weekend's In the Field video segment as seen on KWTV News9. Clcik or tap on the PLAY button in the VIDEO BOX below to see their conversation.
You can also click here for our earlier audio conversation with Tolle on the LFP signup.
News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |
07455_lfp_pmts_asof_08272014-1.pdf
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