Farmers who produce livestock forage in Pearl River County may be eligible for federal relief through the 2015 Livestock Forage Disaster Program, according to the USDA-Farm Service Agency.

Last week, federal drought monitoring showed that Pearl River County was undergoing a severe drought, with portions experiencing an extreme drought. In order to provide relief to local farmers, LFP will provide compensation to eligible producers who suffer grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned, cash leased land or fire on federal land, the press release stated.

LFP applications will be accepted by county committees after notification is received from the National Office of Qualifying Drought or if a federal agency prohibits producers from grazing normal permitted livestock on federally managed lands due to qualifying fire, the release stated.

Producers must also complete a CCC-853 and complete the required supporting documentation before 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the grazing losses occurred. Losses must occur in the calendar year the application is being filed, according to the release.

For more information about eligible livestock and fire criteria, call the local FSA office at 601-795-4409 or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.