The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with FarmRaise, has launched an online Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program Decision Tool.
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency tool is designed to assist agricultural producers who have been impacted by natural disasters access available program support. This ELAP Decision Tool, a component of a broader disaster assistance program educational module, further expands the library of online FSA disaster and farm loan program reference resources and decision aids available to agricultural producers on the FarmRaise FSA educational hub. The Decision Tool is a resource only and is not an application for benefits or a determination of eligibility.
New FarmRaise Tools and Resources FarmRaise, in partnership with FSA, recently launched their online, educational hub — the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub — comprised of videos, tools and interactive resources that enable USDA cooperators and agricultural producers to learn about and access major FSA programs, according to a news release from Mary Anne Coffin, outreach coordinator with the Maine State FSA Office in Bangor.
A new addition to the hub, the ELAP Decision Tool helps eligible producers impacted by qualifying natural disasters and other eligible causes of loss better understand program eligibility and application requirements, learn about record-keeping and supporting loss documentation requirements and track the steps needed before applying for program benefits. The document generated by the ELAP Decision Tool can be used to support the ELAP application process, but it is not a program application. Producers will need to complete and submit the ELAP Application to their local FSA county office. Upon request, applicants may be asked to provide additional supporting documentation per the program requirements.
More FSA program resources and tools will continue to be added to the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub. Cooperators and agricultural producers are encouraged to visit the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub often to access all available educational resources at farmraise.com.
To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account.