EXCITEMENT AT THE OFFICE Bright and early this Monday morning, we heard a loud crash and a thump, thump. We knew it was a wreck (because we've had so many on this corner!), but we opened the door to find that we had a car in our doorway! Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the only damage to our property was a scuff on one of the pecan trees. Luckily, the man driving the car that was in our doorway managed to get stopped about two feet from the building. The police hauled off the driver of the other car for no license and outstanding warrants. You just never know what a Monday will bring, but we are glad it wasn't as bad as it might have been.

Then we got to the office on Wednesday morning to find that someone had clobbered the street sign on our corner, breaking it off and knocking it into a tree. The tree lost a little bark, but I imagine the car or truck that hit the street sign lost a lot more than that!!!

2009 LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM (LIP)

If you lost any livestock due to the cold, wet weather experienced from March 11. 2009, through March 14, 2009, please read the following closely.

There is a national program called LIP (Livestock Indemnity Program) that will compensate producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather. Payment rate for livestock owners is 75 pecent of the fair market value of the livestock as determined by the Commodity Credit Corporation. However, a 2009 payment rate has not been established at this time.

A notice of loss must be filed with your Farm Service Agency office no later than 30 days after loss is apparent. Applications must be filed no later than 30 days following end of calendar year for which assistance is being requested. Beginning inventory documentation must be provided when the LIP application is filed.

Proof of death of livestock is very important!! Documentation must provide sufficient data that identifies the kind and weight range of livestock and the number of livestock lost. Proof of death can be from rendering truck receipts, veterinary records, tax assessor records, or private insurance documents. If verifiable proof of death is not available, producers may provide records such as, accounting and bank records or vaccination/branding records.

If any of these types of records are not available, a third party certification may be accepted only when you certify in writing no other proof of death is available. Your certification must include number and physical location of livestock in inventory at the time the deaths occurred. You must also provide documentation to support number of livestock in inventory at the time death occurred.

A third party person providing certification shall not be affiliated with the operation, such as hired hands or family members, etc. Persons acting as the third party must provide a written, signed and dated state- ment providing their address, phone number, affiliation to par- ticipant, details of knowledge of livestock deaths, and the number and kind/type of dead livestock.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Farm Service Agency offices do not have an application for you to sign today, but their handbook will be out soon, and you can come in and sign up then. For right now, it is very important that you follow all the guidelines for verifying proof of death. The sooner you get this done and go by the FSA office, the better! Simply gathering and counting surviving animals is not sufficient to determine death loss for payment. If you have suffered death loss, you should go by your FSA office with your proof of death verification. Sign-up and payments will not be until later in the year, but this documentation is needed today to maintain your eligibility!!

WE WON THE FIRST ROUND, BUT THE LAND GRABBERS CAME BACK

Those of you who are on our email Alert List received a note saying to call each and every one of our Texas delegation asking them to Oppose S-22, the HUGE Omnibus Land Grab that includes over 150 separate bills including wilderness, heritage areas and other types of land grab bills on top of the 32 MILLION ACRE National Landscape Conservation System designed and pushed by Bruce Babbitt. This is the biggest land grab in nearly 30 years. The bill was brought up on a special rule that required a two-thirds vote to win, and they lost . . .

However, those who are not on our side were not to be deterred!! Senator Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had another plan. Senator Reid inserted the ENTIRE CONTENTS of S-22 plus an NRAsponsored amendment called the Altmire Amendment into H.R. 146, the Revoluntionary War and War of 1 812 Battlefield Protection Act of 2009!! He called for a Senate vote, and it passed. The bill then went to the House where it is probably being voted on as I write this (March 24), and it will go immediately to the desk of the President, who will undoubtedly sign it.

This bill will further shut down the West, hinder domestic energy production, lock-up tens of millions of acres of public lands in categories that much of die public will never be able to use, destroying energy production, mining, timber harvest, grazing and recreation.