STILLWATER – Dr. Amy Hagerman, Oklahoma State University associate professor of agricultural economics, recently discussed USDA Wildfire and Disaster Assistance programs available to producers affected by wildfires.
“The main thing that people need to know is to do timely reporting of the damages,” Hagerman said. “A lot of these programs have a bit of a timeclock associated with them, so getting timely reporting of those damages and documentation is so critical for any of these programs.”
Hagerman said it is also a good idea for producers to take documentation of their property before disaster strikes as well so it can be compared in the case of a disaster.
“Keep those records in your own files, because those are the things that you can turn around and use as documentation for these programs,” Hagerman said. “There are a lot of different programs. I think another thing for people to realize is that there are different programs for different areas of loss. You can stack these programs on top of each other for the different areas of loss you may experience.”
Some examples of loss may include livestock loss, fence line damage, hay loss and more. After assessing the damage to their property, Hagerman said producers can then decide which programs for which they can apply. Examples below: The Livestock Indemnity Program provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or by attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the Federal Government. LIP payments are equal to 75% of the average fair market value of the livestock.
The Emergency Conservation Program helps farmers and ranchers repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters and put in place methods for water conservation during severe drought. The ECP does this through funding and technical assistance.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to ag producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns, The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish provides financial assistance to eligible producers for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary. ELAP assistance is provided for losses not covered by other disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill or the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, such as losses not covered by the Livestock Forage Disaster Program or the Livestock Indemnity Program.
“Also, they (programs) each have different payment limitations, so applying for one program and getting a full payment for that program doesn’t make you ineligible to apply for another program because it is covering a different area of loss,” Hagerman said. “All of these programs require early notice of loss and reporting. None of these programs pay for 100% of the loss. They are either cost-share programs or they pay for some portion of the loss the producer experienced. All of them require good documentation.”
Hagerman recommends producers reach out to their local Farm Service Agency office to ask questions and find out which program(s) may work best for the losses they have experienced.