Certain workers in Alabama’s farming industry are eligible for assistance to help recover losses from drought during the state’s recent agricultural year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP).
The initiative applies to 37 counties across the Yellowhammer State. It’s meant to provide compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought on privately owned land, cash leased land or fire on federally managed land.
USDA FSA State Executive Director Clifton Warren said the U.S. Drought Monitor triggers the program.
“The Livestock Forage Program is automatically triggered by the U.S. Drought Monitor that's built into the farm bill through the Department of Agriculture at the federal level,” he explained. “The U.S. Drought Monitor is used as a data source, or collecting point in referencing, when those counties specifically have loss of water [or] loss of precipitation for so many consecutive weeks during the grazing season.”
According to Warren, the cause of the drought, and the reason some producers have had struggles, is due to the lack of rainfall.
“It's been a great agricultural year. This past year for your cotton producers and your row crops because not having too much rainfall,” he explained. “But, obviously, with farmers, the cattle depends on grazing those grasses that are generated through natural regeneration with precipitation.”
The LFP covers a variety of livestock including beef cattle, bison, alpacas, goats, sheep and dairy cattle among others. According to a press release, the FSA also updated the LFP policy to include additional income producing grazing animals. This includes horses and ostriches.
The program covers a wide selection of grasses as well. Long season small grains, annual ryegrass and full season improved mix are among the grasses that producers are eligible to apply for 2024 LFP benefits. A full list of eligible pasture types and counties is here.
Warren advised that Alabama livestock producers should submit documents to local offices to expedite the application process.
“Supporting documents may include information related to grazing leases, contract grower agreements, timely filed acreage reports, and more,” Warren explained. “Eligible livestock producers should contact their local FSA office for more information on program eligibility and to schedule an appointment to apply for LFP drought recovery assistance.”
Warren encouraged livestock producers to stay up to date with the program by signing up to receive digital updates sent to their text messages or email.
“Sign up for what we call our GovDelivery process. Those producers can sign up to get text messages and information about program signups and things of that nature,” Warren explained. “It comes to their smartphone, it comes to their email, and they will actually have real time information. That information goes out once a month for every county in the state.”
Livestock producers interested in applying for LFP should contact their local FSA office with questions about eligibility of livestock and forage crops. The deadline to apply for LFP is Jan. 30, 2025.
More information on USDA disaster assistance can be found here.
