Livestock Forage Disaster Program

Objective

The objective of LFP is to provide financial assistance from the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund (Trust Fund). The Secretary of Agriculture (henceforth the Secretary) has the authority to use sums from the Trust Fund to provide compensation to livestock producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought or fire. For drought, the losses must have occurred because of a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or is planted to a crop planted specifically for grazing covered livestock. For fire, LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses on range land managed by a Federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the Federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed range land because of a qualifying fire. Eligible grazing losses must have occurred on or after January 1, 2008, and before October 1, 2011. The eligible grazing losses must occur within the same calendar year for which benefits are being requested. ATRA provides extending benefits to livestock producers for grazing losses due to drought and wildfires on Federal lands through September 30, 2013, subject to appropriations.

Who Can Apply

• Unrestricted by Entity Type

An eligible applicant or livestock producer may use assistance for grazing or fire losses for any specific purpose. Eligible covered livestock includes cattle (including dairy cattle); buffalo/beefalo/ alpacas, deer, elk, emu, equine, goats, llamas, poultry; reindeer, sheep; swine; and other livestock as determined by the Secretary.

Who Benefits

Beneficiary eligibility is extended to an eligible livestock producer who is an owner, cash share lessee, a contract grower of covered livestock that provides the pasture land or grazing land (including cash-leased pasture land or grazing land for the livestock) that is physically located in a county affected by drought. The term "eligible livestock producer" does not include an owner, cash or share lessee, or contract grower of livestock that rents or leases pasture land or grazing land owned by another person on a rate-of-gain basis. The eligible producer on a farm must have during the 60 calendar days before the beginning date of a qualifying drought or fire, owned, cashed or share leased, or been a contract grower of eligible covered livestock. An eligible livestock producer must also be an individual or entity that is a citizen of the United States (U.S.); a resident alien; a partnership of citizens of the U.S.; or a corporation, limited liability corporation, or other farm organizational structure organized under State law. An eligible livestock producer shall only be eligible for assistance if the livestock producer meets the risk management purchase requirement by obtaining a policy or plan of insurance or filed the required paperwork and paid the administrative fee by the applicable State application closing deadline date for the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for the grazing land crop that incurred the loss for which assistance is being requested. For 2008 only, a waiver was authorized to allow producers to pay a buy-in fee or receive a waiver by September 16, 2008, for grazing land for which the producer did not obtain a policy or plan of insurance for 2008. The risk management purchase requirement will be waived for producers who are considered to be a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, limited resource farmer or rancher, or beginning farmer or rancher.

Assistance Types

• Direct Payment with Unrestricted Use

Program Contact

Kelly.Breinig@usda.gov
(202) 720-1603