Livestock Producers in Seven Georgia Counties Eligible for LFP

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) to provide financial assistance to eligible livestock producers for 2022 grazing losses due to a qualifying drought. The deadline to apply for 2022 LFP assistance is Jan. 30, 2023.

As of July 11, seven Georgia counties had met the drought severity levels that trigger LFP eligibility for the 2022 program year. The counties now eligible are Bulloch, Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Long, Liberty and McIntosh.

For LFP, qualifying drought triggers are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor. Visit the FSA LFP webpagefor a list of eligible counties and grazing crops.

“Persistent severe and extreme drought conditions in many Georgia counties have caused substantial economic distress for agricultural and livestock producers” said Arthur Tripp, State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Georgia. “Eligible producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office to schedule an appointment to apply for LFP drought recovery assistance.”

LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers and contract growers who also produce forage crops for grazing and suffered losses due to a qualifying drought or fire during the normal grazing period for the county. Eligible livestock include alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo/bison, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, reindeer, or sheep that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the normal grazing period.

To expedite the application process, producers are encouraged to gather and submit records documenting 2022 losses. Supporting documents may include information related to grazing leases, contract grower agreements, and more.

LFP is part of a broader suite of disaster assistance available through USDA. 

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), which also has a Jan. 30, 2023, deadline, provides eligible producers with compensation for certain feed losses not covered by LFP. ELAP also covers above normal costs associated with hauling water to livestock and transporting feed to livestock.

Additional relief is also available through ELAP to help producers cover above normal costs of hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres.