By Jamie Martin
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency has extended the application deadline for the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire. Producers now have until November 21, 2025, to submit their forms. This national program is expected to deliver about $1 billion in total support to help producers recover from feed shortages and forage losses caused by severe floods and wildfires.
USDA extended the deadline because service centers were closed during the government shutdown. This limited producers’ ability to file paperwork or ask questions. With FSA offices open again and operating five days a week, the agency aims to ensure every eligible livestock owner has access to essential support. FSA Administrator Bill Beam noted that the agency is committed to restoring full service and providing reliable disaster assistance.
“We recognize, while FSA Service Centers were temporarily closed due to the government shutdown, livestock and dairy producers may not have had an opportunity to submit their applications for flood and wildfire recovery assistance,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “As directed by Secretary Rollins, FSA county offices are now open and staffed five days a week to provide much needed economic support through essential safety-net and disaster assistance programs like the Emergency Livestock Relief Program. We are fully committed to ensuring farmers and ranchers once again have access to core FSA services and programs.”
To simplify the application process, USDA has identified counties that experienced qualifying disaster events. Producers in these approved counties will not need to provide additional paperwork to prove the flood or wildfire occurred. However, producers in other counties can still qualify if they submit valid documentation, such as photos, insurance reports, emergency declarations, NOAA storm records, or other acceptable evidence.
The program covers a wide range of livestock species, including beef and dairy cattle, buffalo, bison, beefalo, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, deer, elk, equine, emus, ostriches, and reindeer. Producers may apply for support for 2023, 2024, or both years. They may also receive assistance for multiple events, but payments cannot exceed three months for each year and location.
Payments provide up to 60% of feed costs for one month for wildfire losses or up to three months for flood losses, using Livestock Forage Disaster Program calculations. Annual payments are limited to $125,000, with an option to request an increased limit of $250,000 through Form FSA-510 if eligible.
The new deadline offers producers more time to prepare documents, confirm livestock losses, and access financial help that supports recovery and long-term stability.
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: National