Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom has extended the deadline for livestock producers to apply for federal disaster funds made available because of drought during the spring and summer of 2006.

All applications must be postmarked by Thursday (Nov. 30) and sent to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. They can also be hand-delivered to LDAF headquarters in Baton Rouge. The original deadline was Nov. 15.

USDA made the disaster funds available to producers who experienced forage losses due to drought conditions in Louisiana between March 7 and Aug. 31.

“All of the pertinent information is on the LDAF Web site, including forms and fact sheets,” said Odom. “We’ve received numerous calls from producers who did not know about the program in time to apply so I extended the deadline.”

To be eligible for the assistance program, USDA determined the producer’s parish must have experienced exceptional drought (category D4 drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor) or extreme drought (level D3) between March 7 and Aug. 31. All applications must be submitted with a completed, signed and dated IRS W-9 form.

For a list of the eligible parishes and the forms needed for filing an application, go to http://www.ldaf.state.la.us. You can also contact Roy Johnson, LDAF, 225 922-1280, if you have questions regarding the program.

Distribution of the funds is being coordinated by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry with assistance from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, the Louisiana Cattleman’s Association, the LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

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