Disaster Planning

 Dick Rush, Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Idaho today announced that producers may now begin applying for benefits under the provisions of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). These permanent disaster programs, authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, replace previous ad-hoc disaster assistance programs and are funded through the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund.

 Rush said the USDA is committed to meeting the needs of producers when they suffer losses due to a natural disaster.  These FSA programs ensure that producers, who have suffered agriculture losses, can obtain the resources they need to remain financially solvent and assists them to continue on in their operations. Here’s , Executive Director Rush: “What has happened over the years, there have been ad hoc disaster programs. Whenever a disaster came up, congress would in a hurry pass new emergency legislation to deal with different disasters. This farm bill attempts to make a permanent disaster assistance program so that farmers can plan ahead and know what’s going on.”