Disaster Assistance for Farmers & Ranchers: Every Program You Need to Know

Last Updated: February 2026 | Source: USDA-FSA, NRCS, program regulations

This is a free guide, not financial or legal advice. Always verify with your local USDA office. [Report an error]

The 30-Second Version

When disaster hits your operation — drought, wildfire, flood, blizzard, or predator losses — there are at least six federal programs designed to help, and most producers only know about one or two. The critical thing: most of these programs have strict reporting deadlines (often 30 days) that you will miss if you don't know about them in advance. Read this guide before you need it. Bookmark it. The worst time to learn about disaster programs is during a disaster.

Who to contact: Your local FSA (Farm Service Agency) office handles all disaster programs. Not NRCS. Find yours at farmers.gov/service-locator.

If You're In a Disaster Right Now — Do These Three Things Today

Stop reading the rest of this guide and do these first:

1. Photograph and document everything. Dead livestock, damaged fences, destroyed infrastructure, burned land. Use your phone. Include dates.
2. Call your local FSA office and say: "I need to file a notice of loss for LIP and ELAP. I had [describe what happened]. I need to get this on record within 30 days." If you can't find your local office, call the national FSA hotline: 1-877-508-8364.
3. Start saving every receipt. Feed, water hauling, fencing materials, trucking, labor — anything you're spending because of the disaster. These are your documentation for ELAP claims.

You can come back and read the details later. Getting the notice filed is what matters right now. FSA staff handle disasters regularly — they know the drill and will walk you through the paperwork. You just need to get the notice on record. The 30-day clock is unforgiving.

The Programs at a Glance

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)

What It Covers

LIP pays you for livestock that die as a direct result of:

• Eligible weather events (blizzard, hurricane, flood, tornado, lightning, extreme heat/cold, wildfire)
• Attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law — this includes wolves, grizzly bears, and eagles
• Disease caused by or related to an eligible weather event

What It Pays

• 75% of the national average market value of the livestock at the time of death
• Payment rates are set by species, weight class, and type (e.g., beef cow vs. calf vs. bull)
• Example: A mature beef cow might have a LIP payment rate of approximately $900–$1,200 (75% of market value)

How to Claim

1. Report the loss to FSA within 30 days — this is the critical deadline
2. Document everything: photos of dead livestock, veterinary records, weather documentation, predator evidence
3. File the official application at your local FSA office
4. You'll need to provide evidence of the number and kind of livestock lost and the cause of death

Critical Details

• You must have had a financial interest in the livestock at the time of death
• Losses must be above normal mortality — FSA won't pay for deaths that would have occurred anyway
• For wolf and predator losses: you generally need documentation from USDA Wildlife Services, your state fish and wildlife agency, or a similar authority confirming the predator kill
• LIP payments are subject to the $125,000 per-person annual payment limitation

Pro Tips

• Report immediately, even before you have full documentation. The 30-day clock is unforgiving. You can supplement your claim with additional evidence later, but you cannot file a late notice.
• Keep records of your herd inventory at all times. FSA will need to verify your livestock numbers. Brands inspections, vet records, and purchase/sale receipts all help.
• For wolf kills in states like Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington: know your state's predator confirmation process. USDA Wildlife Services can investigate kills — get them out quickly before evidence degrades.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP)

What It Covers

ELAP is the catch-all for livestock losses that aren't covered by LIP or LFP. This is a broader program than most people realize. It covers:

• Grazing losses due to wildfire on federally managed land (when fire damages your grazing allotment)
• Water transportation costs — hauling water to livestock during drought when normal water sources fail
• Feed costs above normal during eligible drought or fire events
• Livestock deaths from causes not covered by LIP (e.g., disease outbreaks related to weather)
• Gathering livestock costs when fire forces emergency moves
• Additional feed costs for maintaining livestock that would normally be grazing
• Honeybee colony losses and feed costs (for beekeepers)

What It Pays

• Payment rates and formulas vary by loss type
• Water hauling: covers the cost of transporting water above what you'd normally spend
• Feed costs: covers additional feed expenses above normal for the applicable period
• Payments are subject to sequestration and may be factored (paid at less than 100% if nationwide claims exceed available funding)

How to Claim

1. File a notice of loss within 30 days of when the loss first becomes apparent
2. Maintain detailed records of all costs: receipts for water hauling, feed purchases, transportation
3. Complete the ELAP application at your local FSA office
4. Keep a log of actions taken — dates, quantities, costs

Pro Tips

• ELAP is the program ranchers most often miss. Everyone knows about LIP for dead livestock, but ELAP covers the much more common (and expensive) scenario of increased costs during drought — hauling water, buying supplemental feed, moving livestock early.
• Keep EVERY receipt during a drought or fire event. Water delivery receipts, hay purchase receipts, trucking invoices. These are your documentation for ELAP claims.
• The "above normal" calculation matters. FSA compares your costs during the disaster period to your normal costs. If you normally spend $2,000/month on supplemental feed and you spent $6,000/month during a drought, the $4,000 difference is what's potentially covered.

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)

What It Covers

LFP provides compensation when drought conditions on grazing land are severe enough to trigger the program. Unlike LIP and ELAP, you don't have to prove specific losses — it triggers automatically based on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

How Triggers Work

LFP activates when your county reaches a specific drought severity level on the U.S. Drought Monitor:

What It Pays

• Monthly payment = 60% of the estimated monthly feed cost for your livestock type
• Based on the number of livestock you own and the county-level feed cost rate
• Payment rates are established by FSA for each livestock type

How to Claim

1. Check the U.S. Drought Monitor weekly during dry conditions: droughtmonitor.unl.edu
2. When your county hits the trigger threshold, contact your FSA office
3. You must have risk coverage (either crop insurance or NAP) on your grazing land to be eligible — or you can pay a $250 service fee per crop in lieu of coverage
4. File the application at your local FSA office

Pro Tips

• This program is essentially automatic. If your county is in D3 or D4 drought, you're almost certainly eligible. Don't wait to be told — go to FSA and file.
• You need to have had risk coverage in place (crop insurance or NAP on your pasture/forage) OR paid the $250 service fee. If you don't have either, you're not eligible. Get NAP coverage on your forage — it's cheap insurance against losing LFP eligibility.
• Monitor the Drought Monitor weekly. Counties can move in and out of drought categories. The week your county hits D2 for 8 consecutive weeks or D3 at all, go file.

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)

What It Covers

ECP helps repair farmland damaged by natural disasters — not livestock losses, but physical damage to the land and infrastructure:

• Debris removal from farmland
• Grading and reshaping damaged land
• Restoring conservation structures (terraces, diversions, waterways)
• Fence repair and replacement
• Restoring water supplies damaged by disaster

What It Pays

• Up to 75% of the cost of approved restoration practices
• $500,000 maximum per disaster event
• Payments can be higher for beginning and limited resource producers

How to Claim

1. ECP is activated county by county — FSA must authorize a sign-up period for your county
2. When sign-up opens, apply at your local FSA office
3. Document all damage with photos and cost estimates
4. Do not begin repair work until your request has been approved by the county FSA committee (emergency measures excepted — if you need to act immediately to prevent further damage, document everything and notify FSA ASAP)

Pro Tips

• ECP is often overlooked after floods and fires. If your fences are down, your waterlines are destroyed, or your land is buried in debris, ECP can cover 75% of the cleanup and repair cost.
• Keep the "before" condition documented. FSA needs to compare pre-disaster and post-disaster conditions. Photos of your infrastructure and land condition taken during normal times are invaluable.
• Some practices have been streamlined — as of recent updates, non-engineering practices like debris removal and fence repair may not require pre-approval inspections, speeding up the process.

Emergency Farm Loans

What They Cover

FSA can make emergency loans to producers in counties that have received a disaster designation (presidential, USDA Secretarial, or Farm Service Agency administrator designation).

Loan Details

• Maximum: $500,000
• Interest rate: Set at time of loan — typically below commercial rates
• Uses: Replace livestock, repair buildings, restore farmland, refinance debts caused by the disaster, pay essential living expenses
• Terms: 1–7 years for operating; up to 40 years for real estate

How to Apply

1. Verify your county has a disaster designation at farmers.gov/protection-recovery
2. Apply at your local FSA office within 8 months of the disaster designation
3. You must have suffered at least 30% loss in crop or livestock production, or a physical loss to livestock, equipment, or buildings
4. You must be unable to obtain sufficient commercial credit

The Disaster Response Checklist

When disaster strikes, do these things immediately:

Within 24-48 Hours:

• Document all damage with dated photos and video
• Document livestock losses — count, identify, photograph
• Call USDA Wildlife Services if predator kills are suspected (for LIP claims)
• Begin keeping detailed records of all emergency expenses (feed, water hauling, fencing materials, labor)
• Contact your crop insurance agent if you have crop/forage losses

Within 30 Days:

• File notice of loss with FSA for LIP (livestock deaths)
• File notice of loss with FSA for ELAP (increased costs, grazing losses)
• Report crop losses to your insurance agent within required timeframe
• Check if your county has an ECP sign-up authorized

Within 60 Days:

• Complete full LIP and ELAP applications with documentation
• Apply for ECP if sign-up is open
• Check drought monitor for LFP eligibility
• Explore FSA emergency loan options if needed

Ongoing:

• Keep ALL receipts for disaster-related expenses
• Maintain a written log of actions taken, dates, and costs
• Follow up with FSA on application status
• Monitor for additional programs announced for your area

Stacking Disaster Programs

You can often receive payments from multiple disaster programs for the same event:

• LIP for livestock that died + ELAP for increased feed costs for surviving livestock + LFP if drought triggered it + ECP for fence repair = four programs, one disaster event
• These are not mutually exclusive — they cover different types of losses
• An emergency loan can supplement any of the above

The key is knowing they all exist and filing for each one separately. Most ranchers only file for one, if any.

Before Disaster Strikes: Be Prepared

The best time to understand disaster programs is before you need them:

1. Get NAP coverage on your pasture/forage if you don't have crop insurance — it's cheap and makes you eligible for LFP
2. Keep herd inventory records current — brand inspections, vet records, purchase/sale records
3. Photograph your infrastructure in good condition — fences, water systems, buildings — this becomes your baseline for damage claims
4. Know your local FSA office contact and have a relationship with them
5. Monitor the Drought Monitor during dry periods: droughtmonitor.unl.edu
6. Bookmark this page and review it when conditions start to deteriorate

Next Steps

1. Check your county's current disaster designations: farmers.gov/protection-recovery
2. Get NAP coverage if you don't have crop insurance on your forage
3. Find your local FSA office: farmers.gov/service-locator
4. Run our eligibility screener to see all programs you qualify for: /screener

This guide is part of Farmer's Navigator. Free for everyone. Share it with your neighbors — they'll need it too.