USDA Extends Emergency Livestock Relief Program Deadline to November 21, 2025
Image by adifferentbrian/DepositPhotos image
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that the sign-up deadline for the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) has been extended to November 21, 2025. The original deadline of October 31 was pushed back due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, allowing producers additional time to complete their applications.
The Emergency Livestock Relief Program, administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides financial assistance to livestock producers who have suffered forage or grazing losses due to natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, and drought. The program is designed to help producers recover from conditions that have severely impacted feed availability and grazing capacity.
“The Emergency Livestock Relief Program provides livestock producers who suffered forage and grazing losses due to floods, wildfires, drought or other qualifying natural disasters, financial assistance due to these losses.”
To qualify for assistance under the ELRP, producers must:
- Own or manage eligible livestock that depend on grazing for feed.
- Have experienced forage or grazing losses due to a qualifying event in 2023 or 2024.
- Operate in a county classified as D2 (severe drought) for at least eight consecutive weeks, or D3 (extreme drought) or higher during the normal grazing period.
- Or, have experienced flooding or wildfire damage that reduced available grazing land.
- Maintain an approved Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) application on file for the 2023 or 2024 program year.
The new version of the ELRP notably broadens assistance to include producers impacted by floods and wildfires, expanding eligibility beyond traditional drought-affected regions. This update ensures a more inclusive approach to addressing the diverse challenges livestock operations have faced over the past two years.
Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA county office to verify eligibility and confirm that all required documentation is complete before the new November 21 deadline.
“Producers can contact their local FSA county office to confirm eligibility and to ensure that all of the appropriate forms are on file.”
As producers continue to recover from recent natural disasters, the USDA’s extension of the ELRP deadline provides much-needed flexibility and continued support to help sustain America’s livestock industry through difficult conditions.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.