USDA offers livestock assistance programme in Hawaii

The USDA Farm Service Agency has announced producers in Hawaii may now begin applying for benefits under the provisions of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for crop year 2010.

LFP provides direct payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire.

For drought, the losses must have occurred on land that is native or improved pasture-land with permanent vegetative cover or a crop planted specifically for grazing. The drought losses must also have occurred during the normal grazing period for the specific type of grazing land in the county.

For fire, LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses on rangeland managed by a federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire.

LFP eligibility is limited to producers who have purchased Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or crop insurance coverage for 2010. Producers who meet the requirements of socially disadvantaged, limited resource or beginning farmer or rancher do not have to meet risk management purchase requirements.

An average adjusted gross non-farm income limitation of US$500,000 applies and is determined using the three taxable years that precede the most immediately preceding complete taxable year.

Some eligible livestock under LFP include beef cattle, buffalo, dairy cattle, poultry and swine.