Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)

What It Is
Under President Trump and Secretary Rollins’ leadership, USDA has timely implemented policy changes outlined in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of signing the act into law. The Act makes a historic investment in American agriculture including expanding disaster assistance program coverage for producers. 

What It Is

The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides financial support to eligible livestock producers who experience grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire conditions. Qualifying fire losses are limited to fires that occur on federally managed land. The program helps producers recover from significant forage losses and address increased feed costs resulting from disasters.

Who Is Eligible

Eligible applicants include livestock producers who own or lease grazing land or pastureland in areas affected by qualifying drought or fire. Producers must provide verifiable documentation of grazing losses and meet all program requirements.

Working Families Tax Cuts Act Program Updates

The Working Families Tax Cuts Act provides quicker assistance for grazing losses due to drought by updating LFP eligibility thresholds.  

  • FSA lowered the threshold for producers to qualify for a one-month LFP payment. Payments will now trigger after four consecutive weeks of qualifying severe drought (D2 on the U.S. Drought Monitor) conditions instead of eight weeks. 
  • Producers may also qualify for a two-month payment if severe drought (D2) conditions continue for seven out of eight consecutive weeks. 

All other drought intensities, durations, and payment months for LFP remain unchanged.  

Important Dates

Applications must be submitted by March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the grazing loss occurred.

How To Apply

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.

Link
Find Your FSA Location
How It Works

Program Features

  • Eligible Livestock: Includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, buffalo, bison, beefalo, water buffalo, equine, goats, sheep, alpacas, ostriches, emus, deer, elk, caribou/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

LFP payments
  • 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 four consecutive weeks – One monthly payment
    • D2 (Severe Drought) for at least seven out of eight consecutive weeks – Two monthly payments
    • 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.
Additional Resources