WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began accepting disaster assistance program applications on June 4 from agricultural producers who suffered livestock, honeybee, farm-raised fish and other losses due to natural disasters.

New applications for losses for calendar year 2017 or 2018 filed under the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) or Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). Producers who already submitted applications and received decisions on their applications for these years do not need to file again, but they can reapply if they have additional losses, or their application was disapproved because it was filed late.

In February, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which made several changes to these two disaster programs, including raising cap and payment limitations and, for LIP, allowing producers to receive a payment for injured livestock that are sold for a reduced price due to an eligible event, as well as for livestock death above normal mortality.

Producers interested in LIP or ELAP should contact their local USDA service center. To apply, producers will need to provide verifiable and reliable production records and other information about their operation. For more information visit https://www.usda.gov/di saster.