The 2014 Farm Bill and Disaster Assistance for Livestock Producers

After nearly three years of formal debate, one extension, and two unmet deadlines, Congress passed the 2014 Farm Bill, officially called the "Agricultural Act of 2014" with the President signing the bill on February 7, 2014. The bill makes budget cuts and program reforms in many areas and sets federal farm and food policy through 2018. An overview and title-by-title discussion provides insight on the new farm bill and the program changes ahead for producers, landowners, and others.

Overview
The commodity title in the 2014 Farm Bill includes the re-authorization and funding of a portfolio of agricultural disaster assistance programs that will be a strong help to livestock producers. While the programs are projected to provide several hundred million dollars of disaster assistance each year across the country according to Congressional Budget Office spending estimates, they will provide much more in 2014.

The disaster assistance programs are not just re-authorized and funded going forward, but have been renewed retroactively for losses dating back to 2012, when the previous authorization had first expired. To cover the pending losses from 2012 and 2013 as well as potential losses ahead in 2014, the programs are projected to spend nearly $900 million nationally in the coming year, providing substantial support to producers who have been absorbing disaster losses in the livestock sector since 2012.

The disaster assistance includes

• the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) for abnormal death losses due to agricultural disasters,
• the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for drought and fire losses to grazing  capacity,
• the Emergency Assistance Program for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) for other livestock disaster losses, and
• the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) for disaster losses for orchard and nursery tree growers.

Agricultural disaster assistance is available to eligible producers and is limited to a cumulative $125,000 per person per year across all programs.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers the disaster assistance programs and has rushed efforts to get this assistance out to producers promptly, with sign-up set to begin on or before April 15.