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Enhancing the Livestock Indemnity Program to Protect the Panhandle Cattle Industry

By Rep. Ronny Jackson (TX-13)

Earlier this year, over 1.3 million acres were burned in the Texas Panhandle by the largest wildfire ever recorded in the State’s history. When the fires first broke out, my office and I worked diligently with the Texas Department of Emergency Management, fire departments, and local authorities to alert constituents of evacuation sites and distribution centers. Once the flames were extinguished, it became clear that the devastating impacts would take our farmers and ranchers years to recover from. The Panhandle is one of the world’s largest cattle-producing regions, accounting for over $16.5 billion in economic value. Unfortunately, these flames killed over 12,000 head of cattle, costing agricultural producers nearly $125 million in losses and destroying their livelihoods. I swiftly got to work to find innovative ways to assist these producers.
 
While there are many disaster assistance relief programs and resources to help those affected, I realized the established Livestock Indemnity Program lacked payment rates to fill the gap for the loss of pregnant livestock carrying unborn offspring. Since these fires began during the spring calving season, this policy loophole caused an increased negative impact on producers.
 
After hearing about this issue, I swiftly worked to address this void and drafted the Livestock Indemnity Program Enhancement Act to assist livestock producers with cattle losses, including unborn offspring. By creating an additional payment rate for unborn livestock losses, Congress can better assist in producers’ recovery, helping to mitigate the long-term effects of disasters. 
 
I am proud to lead this effort to strengthen the farm safety net for our cattlemen and will continue fighting for the livelihoods of all farmers and ranchers. Through my efforts in drafting creative legislation to help ranchers in the Panhandle, I am confident that the cattle industry will continue to thrive and grow for future generations.