USDA Announced Updates for Honeybee Producers

USDA’s (The U.S. Department of Agriculture) Farm Service Agency (FSA) updated the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP).For honeybees cultivators, ELAP covers certain colony losses, hive losses (in case of the physical structure alongfeed losses (in case of natural disasters, or in cases of colony loss by colony rupture, however, the losses must exceed the normal mortality in such cases). Emergency assistance is also granted through ELAP to eligible livestock producers including grazing and feed losses. Moreover, they are also entitled to claim covers because of losses caused by eligible adverse weather conditions (including, but not limited to, blizzards and wildfires on non-federally managed lands).

UPDATES:

The updates include fluctuations obligatory by the 2018 Farm Bill and the flexible changes envisioned to advance the management of the program and simplify prevailing requirements.Honey bee producers must closely look into the changes in ELAP program, especially the beneficiaries, ensuring that they meet the proposed deadline requirements. These changes are made to better align the two key disaster assistance program deadlines in order to improve the consistency and ease of administration for honeybee producers.

Previously ELAP was monitored on the basis of FSA’s fiscal year which shall now run according to the calendar’s current year. However, producers will still have to submit the application for the payment within 30 days of the program end year. The policy shall not change but the deadlines will be affected and altered. The signup deadline for calendar year 2020 losses is January 30, 2021.

From this year, the honeybee producers shall have 15 days, instead of 30 days, from when the loss is first apparent, to file a honeybee notice of loss. This change is in accordance with ELAP and the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, having a 15-day notice of loss period for honey.

Program participants who have been the beneficiaries and have been provided funds to cater the losses of a honeybee colony or hive in either or both previous two years, will now have to provide additional documentation to authenticate how present year inventory is developed.

Message from us:

Geohoney wishes all the U.S. based honey producers to notice these changes and apply for the loss aids in accordance with the new deadlines and shall prosper in their honey production.