tucknjill Posted January 23, 2005 Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 Hey, the guys at my fsa office are less than informed in my county as I am the only one who applied for the program...Does anyone know how long I have to keep the ewe once I have rec. pmt? Is it thru one lambing?..what documentation do I need if one dies..ie deceleration trauma or something not disease related? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted January 23, 2005 Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 Um, is "deceleration trauma" a shipping issue or a dog training issue? Ie, running into the fence? :eek: Sorry, stupid question but I really am ignorant. Here are the basic requirements off the fact sheet: * Have purchased or retained ewe lambs for breeding purposes between August 1, 2003, and July 31, 2004; * Have retained the qualifying ewe lambs in the herd for at least one complete offspring lambing cycle; and * Not have received funds under USDA?s Lamb Meat Adjustment Assistance Program for the same ewe lamb. So your lamb had to have been born last year, then retained until, I assume, her mother lambed again. So lambs born in July wouldn't be eligible unless you've got much more fertile ewes than I've ever heard of. Apparently, all you need is your normal flock records for sheep that are born and die on your place, if the feds come a-knocking (assuming you keep veterinary receipts). Here's the information: Ewe Lamb Documentation If selected for spot check, applicants must provide appropriate ewe lamb documentation, including: * Sales receipts as proof of purchase and retention; * Farm management records kept through normal production practices; * Veterinarian certifications as proof of ewe lamb characteristics; and * Scrapie program forms as proof of compliance with 9 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 79. Otherwise, the web site is remarkably uninformative. I really think you could turn in a list of ewe numbers on a piece of toilet tissue and get about the same service that has been evident when you go through the trouble of jumping the hoops. On the other hand, as many of us as possible need to go ahead and take advantage of the program, or it will go away, as is the way of all federal money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucknjill Posted January 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 the sheet I got said something like must have been 18 months or younger as of aug 2003 and not have rec federal money in the past..so hell that means everything on my place as they all meet that age requirement..asked the guy and he said go ahead..hope that wasnt wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 We've put in for our 10 this year. We also took advantage of it the last time around. Sam, it is my understanding that you only have to keep the ewe through one laming season. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 How coincidental that you posted this topic. I JUST left a message with my FSA office to find out what the status is on my application. I applied for 17 lambs back on November. In Buckingham, I was also required to get the scrapie ear tags from the state APHIS office (they are free through Premier). I ordered them in December and still have not gotten them. They did give me a scrapie farm ID# which I gave to the Buckingham FSA office, but I have still yet to see a check! Mark/Renee, did you get paid yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Christine, no money yet. I think Renee was told when we might expect to see the money. You'll need the ear tags to take adults (culls) to the livestock market. You're supposed to have ear tags when you sell adults to anyone. Wait, the animal ID requirements are only going to get tighter. It'll happen to cattle first then spread to all animals that could end up in the food chain. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyO Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Mark wrote You'll need the ear tags to take adults (culls) to the livestock marketAs of last weekend at New Holland, you still did not need tags on the animals. I took 5 sheep to New Holland last weekend, 2 had tags and 3 did not, 3 of the ewes had lost thier tags. There was no mention of it when I signed my paper for the number I brought in and on the check there was no deduction for New Holland tagging them. I am slowly decreasing my katahdins and going more with a wool meat sheep that sells better here. Nancy O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Ha, at least your office knew what the heck you were talking about. We don't even have a livestock rep here in Stokes anymore, much less one that knows anything about sheep. I had to call a guy I knew that used to work for the extension office, that I knew would have already applied. You all know John Brasfield with the club lamb operation down here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Nancy, count your blessings, the scrapies ear tag requirement should be enforced nation wide according to the USDA. Review this to see where the USDA is taking us. http://www.animalagriculture.org/scrapie/Scrapie.htm Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 At least the tags they require stay in now! I LOVE my new 2Xs - I've gone to tatoos in one ear and the farm tag in the other - no more "paper orphan" lambs that lose their identity after weaning when the tags fall out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyO Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Mark, I had heard that New Holland was requiring tags on all sheep and if they did not have tags when they came in, that New Holland provided tags and the seller then had to pay for them. So far this does not appear to be occurring, at least not for 2004 and Jan of 2005 when I have taken sheep up. I do have scrapie tags that I will be using this year. I have not had my flock tested for scrapies. From what I understand (and this could be wrong) that I am considered in the scrapie program as long as I tag my sheep with the scrapie tags provided to me. For people who want to say they are a scrapie free flock, there seemed to be way more requirements, tests, etc than I was willing to do at this time. For what I am going to do, ie tagging my sheep with the scrapie tags with my flock identification, it is my understanding that it is a way to trace any sheep back to the flock of origin (in case scrapies shows up) If this is not correct, could someone please let me know. Nancy O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Nancy, There are two programs; the mandatory ID program and the voluntary scrapies program. The mandatory has the farm id number on the free tags to allow for traceability the voluntary one involves testing and becoming a closed flock. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Dog Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Christine, I ordered the scrapie tags from the national APHIS office by calling a number I got from Premier. The tags and applicator arrived in about a week. You may want to go this route if you don't get your tags pretty soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Originally posted by Deacon Dog:Christine, I ordered the scrapie tags from the national APHIS office by calling a number I got from Premier. The tags and applicator arrived in about a week. You may want to go this route if you don't get your tags pretty soon. Tony, yup, that is the number I called. I called back about two weeks after I ordered them to ask what the holdup was and the man laughed at me. He said it can take months to get the tags and applicator. Maybe it has something to do with my County FSA? Regardless, I am still waiting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 I just got a return call from my county FSA administrator. She said that all applications had been submitted and then the approved contracts for the program are sent to the USDA at the end of January. At that time, the USDA determines how many contracts for each county in each state and takes that all into consideration for the amount of money to be distributed to each FSA location. She did not have any idea when or if I would receive payment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucknjill Posted January 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 god, I sure could use that money...it will be a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Originally posted by tucknjill:what documentation do I need if one dies..ie deceleration trauma or something not disease related? Sam, I had dogs get into my sheep last year and kill some. I had to give the FSA a copy of the report I filed with the county to get reimbursed for the dead ewe lambs (since they never found the owners). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucknjill Posted January 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 I am wondering what you are supposed to do when say one hits the fence (I mean it doesnt happen often, but it does happen) or say one just up and dies, which also doesnt happen often but still... I will be damned if I am gonna get a vet out for a certificate or something when I can just put it down myself...told my fsa lady to check for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordersprings Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 My understanding of of the ewe retention and volunteer scapie program is that no "certificates" of death are required. Your county FSA will "audit" your farm every few years - in my case that means about once every two years and she comes and stands at the fence and looks at my sheep to see if the number of ewes I received payment for seem reasonable (she does not really count them). The records I keep simply state if a sheep/lamb died (and what the cause is to the best of my knowledge) or if I sold it - to whom and when. A state vet may or may not come out to your farm to check your flock (none have shown up here yet). For what it is worth - I had a terrible time getting tags from Virginia. When I called the Federal office I received enough tags and applicators to last me twenty years - and they came within a few weeks. Of course, they come directly from Premier so it depends on their production schedule as they must have your farm ID number printed on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucknjill Posted January 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Thanks Craig! Decided to go with the normal fence btw...the best fence guy I could find wanted to use that so that is what we did. Got approval on the new farm, so just waiting on the appraisal on the Richmond house and then we can MOVEEEEEEEE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordersprings Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Congratulations on the new farm. It is nice to see good things happen to good people! Can't wait to see you all again on the trial circuit - the winter months are a drag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucknjill Posted January 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Are you going to Edgeworth or Don McCaig's? If so I will see you there..the sign of a real trial junkie, the weekend before I move farms and i am going to a dog trial! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordersprings Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 My current plans are to go to Florida in a couple of weeks, then skip Edgeworth - just too far to run one dog in Open. The McCaig/Ray trial weekend should be a great one - would not miss that one. Also, if anyone is looking for a trial in a couple of weeks - the KBCA trial at Ann Keller's place is terrific. One of the most interesting and challenging courses - and if they use Paul Tucker's sheep again it also requires a bit of finesse on your dog's part. All in all a great winter trial on terrific field. See you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Craig, have a nice, warm time in FL. See you at McCaig/Ray's. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucknjill Posted January 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Good luck in Florida, think of me often while I am stuck here ripping my hair out...started lambing today btw...2 weeks early by my hazy calculations. Just what I needed arghhhhhhhhhhhh. Cranky Sam signing off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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