Enrollment is currently under way for the Livestock Compensation Program. LCP compensates livestock producers for grazing or feed losses as a result of an eligible disaster designation.

For drought, producers in Butler and Allegheny counties are eligible for 2005, and those in Beaver County are eligible for 2005 and 2007.

The payment represents 61 percent of the cost of corn needed to maintain the specific livestock for 30 days as determined by the Farm Service Agency.

Payments are the lower of the following payment rates or the grazing loss for the farm:

Kind of Livestock

Type

Weight Range

Payment Per Head, 2005-2007Beef Adult Cows and Bulls $10.66Non-adult 500 pounds or more $8Dairy Adult Cows and Bulls $27.72Non-adult 500 pounds or more $8Sheep All $2.67Goats All $2.67Equine, swine, elk and poultry may also qualify if they meet the eligibility standards. It is really a simple program that can be explained as such: Report your total eligible livestock numbers, indicate where your pasture is on an aerial photograph and sign the application.The computer program will calculate your payment after we have measured the pasture acres, and this only takes a minute.Livestock to be considered eligible under LCP must be dairy cattle, beef cattle, buffalo, beefalo, equine, poultry, elk, reindeer, sheep, goats, swine or deer that:n Have been physically located in an eligible county on the beginning date of the applicable disaster periodn Have been maintained for commercial use as part of a farming operation on the beginning date of the disaster period, andn Have not been produced and maintained for reasons other than commercial use as part of a farming operation. Such excluded uses include, but are not limited to, wild free roaming animals or animals used for recreational purposes such as pleasure, hunting, pets, roping or for show.All of the above details LCP grazing losses, however, there is also a provision that compensates producers for increased feed costs that are directly related to the disaster designation.For example, drought producers needed to purchase additional hay and corn silage. In this example, we can also assume that there was essentially not any pasture acreage.To qualify, producers would need to provide evidence of the increased feed costs. This would require feed receipts from both the disaster year and the prior year to determine the amount of eligible increased feed costs.This provision can get complicated, but it is available in certain situations. Probably for the most part, grazing is conducted on most livestock operations so the increased feed cost provision could be disregarded.Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.