The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides financial support to livestock producers who experience grazing losses due to qualifying drought conditions or fire on federally managed rangelands during the normal grazing period. The program helps producers recover from significant forage losses and address increased feed costs resulting from disasters.
Eligible applicants include livestock producers who own or lease eligible grazing land or pastureland affected by qualifying drought or fire. Producers must provide verifiable documentation of grazing losses and meet all program eligibility requirements.
Applications must be submitted by March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the grazing loss occurred.
To apply, producers must submit the following to their local FSA office.
- Form CCC-853, Livestock Forage Disaster Program Application
- FSA-578, Report of Acreage
- Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet
- Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable)
- Form CCC-902I (if applicable), Farm Operating Plan for an Individual
- Form CCC-902E (if applicable), Farm Operating Plan for an entity
- Form CCC-941, Average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information
- AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification
- SF-3881, ACH Vendor/ Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form (Direct Deposit)
Additional supporting documentation is required including proof of grazing losses as of the date of designated drought, grazing leases or permits, proof of land ownership, and livestock inventory information. All enrollment instructions and deadlines are available through the local FSA office.
Program Features
- Eligible Livestock: Includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, buffalo, beefalo, water buffalo, equine, goats, sheep, alpacas, ostriches, emus. deer, elk, reindeer, and llamas maintained for commercial use as part of a farming operation.
- Grazing Losses due to:
- Drought: Compensation is available for livestock producers with privately owned or cash-leased land in counties designated as experiencing qualifying drought conditions.
- Fire: Compensation is available for livestock producers unable to graze normal permitted livestock on federally managed rangeland due to fire.
- Payment Rates: Payments are based on the severity of the drought (as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor) and the number of livestock units. For fire losses, payments are based on the number of eligible livestock and the number of grazing days lost.
Payment Rates
- Grazing land or pastureland physically located in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor during the normal grazing period may qualify:
- D2 (Severe Drought) for at least eight consecutive weeks – One monthly payment
- D3 (Extreme Drought) at any time - Three monthly payments
- D3 (Extreme Drought) for at least four weeks or D4 (Exceptional Drought) at any time - Four monthly payments
- D4 (Exceptional Drought) for four weeks (not necessarily consecutive) - Five monthly payments
Additional Benefits
- Financial Relief: Provides critical financial assistance to help producers cover additional feed costs and mitigate the economic impact of forage losses.
- Risk Management: Supports the resilience of livestock operations by helping producers manage the risks associated with natural disasters.
- Continuity of Operations: Ensures that livestock producers can continue their operations despite significant forage losses, promoting the stability of the agricultural sector.