Texas cattle producers who have suffered losses due to drought or other disasters should apply for federal aid soon, as deadlines approach.

The disaster programs are part of the Agricultural Act of 2014, the new farm bill, which will help Texas cattle producers rebuild and recover drought losses dating back to 2011, said Judith Canales, Texas state executive director for the USDA-Farm Service Agency.

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Canales Texas provided updates on livestock disaster programs in College Station at the 60th Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, coordinated by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the department of animal science at Texas A&M University.

 “(As of Aug. 6), $258 million in livestock disaster payments have been distributed in Texas,” Canales said. “We have 173 offices here in Texas, and we encourage you to schedule an appointment.”

Program highlights

Highlights of programs offered to cattle producers were:

- Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance provides aid to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to a natural disaster. This includes grasses planted for livestock production. A fact sheet on this program is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/nap.

- The Livestock Indemnity Program provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather. To be eligible, a producer must have legally owned the eligible livestock on the day the livestock died. A fact sheet on this program is available at http://1.usa.gov/1slsUaj.

- The Livestock Forage Disaster Program is retroactive to cover eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses for covered livestock on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or is planted specifically for grazing. The program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses on rangeland managed by a federal agency if the producer is prohibited by the federal agency from grazing normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire. The grazing losses must have occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011. Payments are based on animal units. A fact sheet on this program is available at http://1.usa.gov/1sAsEWe.

For more information on the disaster programs, visit http://1.usa.gov/1sFkON6 or contact a local Texas FSA county office.