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A bill to make supplemental agricultural disaster assistance available for fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and for other purposes.

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 24, 2013

Makes livestock indemnity payments (at 65% of an animal's market value) through FY2013 to eligible producers on farms that have incurred excess livestock death losses due to: (1) attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves; or (2) adverse weather, including hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold.

Establishes a livestock forage disaster program to provide one source for livestock forage disaster assistance for weather-related forage losses by combining: (1) the livestock forage assistance functions of the non insured crop disaster assistance program and the emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish program; and (2) the livestock forage disaster program.

Provides assistance through FY2013 for forage losses: (1) due to drought on land that is native or improved pasture land with permanent vegetative cover or is planted to a crop planted specifically for the purpose of providing grazing for covered livestock; (2) on federally-managed rangeland due to a fire; and (3) due to weather-related conditions other than drought or fire on land that is native or improved pasture land with permanent vegetative cover, or is planted to a crop planted specifically for the purpose of providing grazing for covered livestock.

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Provides funds through FY2013 for: (1) emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires; and (2) assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that planted trees for commercial purposes but lost the trees as a result of a natural disaster, and to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that have a production history for commercial purposes on planted or existing trees but lost the trees as a result of a natural disaster (requires tree mortality to exceed 15%).

Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to provide coverages based on individual yields (other than for value-loss crops) under the non insured crop disaster assistance program equivalent to: (1) catastrophic risk protection, or (2) specified additional coverage.

Makes additional program coverage available at 50% to 65% of established yield and 100% of average market price. Reduces the premium for additional coverage by 50% for limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers.

Makes assistance available as soon as practicable to producers with 2012 losses of certain fruit crops in counties declared a disaster due to freeze or frost.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT] · D–MT

Committees

  • Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
8 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S288)

  3. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

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Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Jan 20, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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