Farm and Ranch
Farm Service Agency – Drought assistance for livestock producers
By Farm Service Agency
Oct 5, 2024
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Bonham, Texas -- USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)  announces that drought impacted producers may be eligible for financial assistance through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)  to provide financial assistance to eligible producers for 2024 grazing losses due to a qualifying drought and provide water for impacted livestock.

 

“Producers across Fannin County have been faced with another significant drought year causing considerable economic hardship as they go to great lengths to provide adequate feed, forage and water for their livestock,” said Amy Lindsey, County Executive Director for Fannin FSA. “Producers who are eligible for the much-needed disaster recovery assistance are encouraged to contact the Fannin FSA office to schedule an appointment to apply.” 

 

Livestock Forage Disaster Program

 

The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides payments to eligible livestock producers and contract growers who also produce forage crops for grazing and suffered losses due to a qualifying drought or fire during the normal grazing period for the county.  Eligible livestock include alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo/bison, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, reindeer, or sheep that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the normal grazing period. 


Fannin county met the drought severity level that triggered LFP eligibility for the 2024 program year on October 1, 2024.  For LFP, qualifying drought triggers are determined using the
U.S. Drought MonitorA list of eligible counties and grazing crops can be found on the FSA Texas webpage.

 

To expedite the application process, producers are encouraged to gather and submit records documenting 2024 losses. Supporting documents may include information related to grazing leases, contract grower agreements, and more.

 

The deadline to apply for 2024 LFP assistance is Jan. 30, 2025.

 

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program

 

For eligible producers in qualifying counties, the ELAP provides financial assistance for:

 

·         the transportation of water to livestock;

·         the above normal cost of mileage for transporting feed to livestock; and

·         the above normal cost of transporting livestock to forage/grazing acres.*

 *No payment for “empty miles.”

 

Eligible livestock include cattle, bison, goats and sheep, among others, that are maintained for commercial use and located in a county where qualifying drought conditions occur. A county must have had D2 severe drought intensity on the U.S. Drought Monitor for eight consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period, or D3 or D4 drought intensity at any time during the normal grazing period. Producers must have risk in both eligible livestock and eligible grazing land in an eligible county to qualify for ELAP assistance.

 

Transporting Water, Feed and Livestock

 

For ELAP water transportation assistance, producers must be transporting water to eligible livestock on eligible grazing land where adequate livestock watering systems or facilities were in place before the drought occurred and where water transportation is not normally required. ELAP covers costs associated with personal labor, equipment, hired labor, and contracted water transportation fees. Cost of the water itself is not covered. The ELAP payment formula uses a national average price per gallon.

 

ELAP also provides financial assistance to livestock producers who incur above normal expenses for transporting feed to livestock and who are hauling livestock to a new location for feed resources due to insufficient feed or grazing in drought-impacted areas.  For transporting feed or hauling livestock, the payment formula excludes the first 25 miles and any mileage over 1,000 miles.

 

An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed and livestock transportation costs caused by drought and view the demonstration video.

 

Reporting Losses

 

Producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent. Producers should contact FSA as soon as the loss of water or feed resources are known.

 

For ELAP eligibility, documentation of expenses is critical. Producers should maintain records and receipts associated with the costs of transporting water to eligible livestock, the costs of transporting feed to eligible livestock, the costs of additional feed purchases, and the costs of transporting eligible livestock to forage or other grazing acres.

 

The deadline to apply for 2024 ELAP is Jan. 30, 2025.

 

Additional Drought Recovery Assistance

 

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses or prevents crop planting including crops planted and grown for livestock consumption such as grain and forage crops, including native forage. Eligible producers would have had to have obtained NAP coverage for the crop year in which the qualifying loss occurred.

FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers who cannot secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs. Additionally, FSA has a variety of loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan debt to FSA because of reasons beyond their control.  

 

More Information

 

Additional disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Farmers.gov Drought WebpageDisaster Assistance Discovery ToolDisaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool.

 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

 

#

 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

 

 

 

 Farmers, ranchers, partners and stakeholders can now subscribe to receive free email and text message communications directly from the Fannin County USDA Service Center for information related to loans, farm disaster assistance, conservation programs, crop insurance and other USDA programs.

 

USDA is expanding the service that USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has used for years to now include local information from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and other USDA agencies.

 

Subscribers will now receive important information on programs, eligibility requirements and deadlines from the FSA, NRCS, and RMA.

 

USDA will send news and updates through a single email or text message subscription through govDelivery, a communication technology service for government agencies. The digital communications platform is secure and subscriber contact information will not be shared.

 

For existing subscribers, news will continue to be sent via e-mail right to your home or farm office, or to your smartphone – allowing you to receive immediate notification of USDA news that applies to your agricultural operation.

 

How to Subscribe

 

Producers can subscribe online in minutes by visiting farmers.gov/subscribe.  From this link, producers can choose to receive email communications, text message alerts or both. The first step is establishing subscriber preferences by choosing to receive program information by topic, by state and/or by local Service Center. Producers can select as many subscriber options as they want, which allows those who have agricultural interests in multiple counties or across state lines to receive updates from each county in which they operate or have an interest.  

 

Producers can also subscribe to text alerts from the Fannin County USDA Service Center by texting TXFANNIN to 372-669. Standard text messaging rates apply. Contact your wireless carrier for details associated with your particular data plan. Participants may unsubscribe at any time.

 

More Information  

 

For more information visit farmers.gov/working-with-us/stay-connected or for subscription assistance contact the Fannin County USDA Service Center at 903-583-9513.  

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  • Just in time for the holidays, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra (LSWO) will present Unwrap the Joy, a Christmas celebration featuring festive music for the entire family – from carols and classical pieces, to contemporary tunes that have a special way of bringing people together and enhancing the holiday spirit. Under the direction of LSWO guest conductor Andrew Trachsel, the concert will be performed at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, at Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District (2520 Flora St., 75201).
  • The Bonham Big Band Express is having our annual Christmas concert on Saturday, December 14, 7:00 p.m. at the Floyd Community Center (aka, the Armory, 1100 W 5th Street) in Bonham, Texas. Admission is free, and we serve free refreshments.
  • I was curious about the relationship between Harry S Truman and Sam Rayburn because of a piece of corn. Currently at the Sam Rayburn Museum there is corn on the cob encased in resin on display in the "Gifts of a Nation" display case. No one is completely certain why Rayburn had it, but Truman has the same one. This is what led me to look into the friendship between Rayburn and Truman. The two men shared a tight bond throughout their political careers. courtesy photo of Harry Truman and Sam Rayburn at the Sam Rayburn House in Bonham
  • "Japanese War Brides: Across a Wide Divide" begins a national tour December 14 at Irving Archives and Museum in Irving, Texas. These young women left their homes to build lives within the complexities of postwar American society. Their experiences reshaped communities by challenging immigration laws and race relations. The arrival of these brides marked the largest women-only immigration event in U.S. history and, by 1960, had increased the population of Asian Americans in the U.S. by 10%.
  • The Fannin County Museum of History has several Fannin County history books for sale that might be just perfect for someone you know. The books are available for purchase at the Museum and are also available on Amazon.
  • Historic Fannin County newspapers often featured beautiful front pages for their Christmas editions. An exhibit of these newspapers is now on display on the 2nd Floor of the Fannin County Courthouse. Visit the courthouse during this season to view this display and beautiful decorations.
  • Upper Trinity's contractors are finishing up construction on five new streams near future Lake Ralph Hall, which will flow into the North Sulphur River. The newly connected tributary streams are naturally beginning to flow with rainwater this fall, bringing life back to areas impacted for decades by severe erosion and loss of habitat. Restoring the tributaries of the river to their natural, curved paths helps mitigate the area's severe erosion and provide previously lost habitat.
  • Col. James Tarleton, who is buried in the Inglish Cemetery in Bonham, fought at San Jacinto in the Texas War for Independence.
  • Construction crews began redirecting water from the North Sulphur River channel on October 28 and moving it for the first time through the Leon Hurse Dam spillway.
  • Fannin County citizens might be surprised to learn that one of the few survivors of the Goliad Massacre lived in Fannin County and is buried at Grove Hill Cemetery.
  • Hammett Excavation is pitching in as a subcontractor on UTRWD's Lake Ralph Hall, but this is not just any project for the family-owned excavation company. Today, the team hauls local filter sand for Resolve Aggregates, a local business partner, to help construct the dam. However, the Hammett team's connection to conservation around Lake Ralph Hall goes back to 1963, when Gaylon Hammett's family business began with a small job to stop erosion in nearby streams — long before the idea of a reservoir was conceived. "Our first dozer job was right here near the site of Lake Ralph Hall, working on soil case conservation," second-generation CEO Hammett shared. "The government offered funding to slow severe erosion in the area."
  • As Fannin County begins to celebrate the historical significance of bois d'arc to this region, perhaps it is time to revisit a lecture given in 2011 by the late Dr. Fred Tarpley, Professor Emeritus of Literature and Languages at Texas A&M University-Commerce.
  • A special ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024, starting at 11:00 a.m. with a potluck lunch following, to honor Staff Sergeant Eula Sturdivant Phillips, United States Army Air Force, World War II. Please note that This ceremony is scheduled to start after the cemetery workday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
  • Over one hundred years ago, what we now call World War I was raging throughout Europe. The first Fannin County boy to die overseas in battle was Rufus Shelton. Born in Honey Grove, Texas on March 2, 1898, he was the seventh child of nine children in that family. His father was a farmer who operated a farm near the small community of Dial, southeast of Honey Grove.
  • Just 25 minutes from downtown Dallas lies the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, a hidden gem that is revolutionizing water treatment through innovative conservation practices. Spanning almost 2,000 acres, this remarkable facility combines beauty with utility, serving as both a vibrant habitat for wildlife and an essential water treatment system for over one million residents in the Dallas area.
  • When visionary conservationist John Bunker Sands gazed across his cattle field, he imagined a thriving wetland teeming with life. This dream has now transformed into one of the largest manmade wetlands in the United States, providing a crucial resource for both nature and the Dallas-area community.
  • It was a rumbling review of military-vehicle history and a special treat for many veterans in Bonham when the Military Vehicle Preservation Association HA Jefferson Highway 2024 Convoy passed through Bonham on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
  • Since the beginning of construction on Lake Ralph Hall, UTRWD has worked with the Perot Museum to identify, extract and/or study significant fossil finds. This includes the 2022 discovery of a Tylosaurus on a section of the North Sulphur River owned by UTRWD (image courtesy of the Perot Museum). UTRWD worked with Perot Museum paleontologists to extract the specimen for further study at the museum.
  • One of the many crises in the Mid-East was called the 'Suez Canal Crisis' and it did not involve Palestinians.
  • Once Christmas has passed, the world looks to a new year. Many wonder what the new year will bring while planning their own ways of ringing in 2025.
  • Charles M. Schulz created a comic strip that captured the hearts of millions in the nearly 50 years that Peanuts ran in thousands of newspapers around the world.
  • At the time I am writing this op-ed on Friday, December 20, there is still some uncertainty about our government closing, about the new relationship between President Elect Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, and many uncertainties about who will manage the various agencies of our government.
  • 2025 will be a year of many changes. At the national level, we will have a Republican president, a Republican congress, and a Republican senate.
  • Kris Kristofferson (88) was a Rhodes Scholar, a helicopter pilot in the Army, and a floor-sweeper at Columbia Records in Nashville before rising to superstar status.
  • The twentieth century saw the shrouds surrounding the mysteries of science and creation being pulled back to reveal a universe of incredible, awe-inspiring wonder and physicist John Wheeler was part of much of this Earth-shattering work.
  • Galveston, once the most important port city in Texas, suffered a crushing blow with the hurricane of 1900.
  • Our US educational format notes that some regarded the Civil War to be focused on ending slavery. Others believe it was a war between the states over "states' rights."
  • Dr. Alfred Gilman, a Dallas-based researcher, employed many students and scientists in his labs as he researched the innermost workings of cells in the body, work that led to the Nobel Prize.
  • In addition to securing the needed funding, a major problem is the lack of adequate ship building and maintenance facilities in the U.S. to service our submarine forces and our surface Navy.
  • In what has most certainly been one of the most unusual years in memory, the nation will mark Thanksgiving once again on this Fourth Thursday in November. It is part of a long tradition that has spanned many generations.