Navigating Disaster: A Farmer’s Guide to USDA Assistance Programs

Last updated 2 days ago. Our resources are updated regularly but please keep in mind that links, programs, policies, and contact information do change.

When natural disasters strike, farms and ranches can face devastating impacts. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers several programs to help agricultural producers recover from losses. This guide provides a clear overview of the primary disaster assistance programs administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Understanding USDA Disaster Aid Programs

The Farm Service Agency is responsible for delivering direct support programs to agricultural producers facing losses from natural disasters. While USDA offers a broad range of assistance, this guide focuses on five core FSA programs crucial for recovery:

Key FSA Programs at a Glance

A critical point for accessing any of these programs is your local FSA county office. These offices are the primary contact for questions, guidance, application forms, and submitting documentation. Find your nearest USDA Service Center using the online locator tool.

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

ELAP provides emergency financial aid to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish who suffer losses from specific adverse events not covered by other disaster programs like LFP and LIP. Think of ELAP as filling specific gaps in the disaster assistance framework.

Covered Losses Under ELAP

ELAP covers a specific range of losses:

Livestock Feed and Grazing Losses: Includes grazing losses due to eligible adverse weather (other than drought on private land or fire on federal land), loss of purchased or mechanically harvested feed destroyed by an eligible event, the cost of purchasing additional feed needed due to a disaster (limited to 150 days), and additional costs of transporting feed to livestock.

Water Transport Costs: Covers above-normal costs of hauling water to livestock during eligible drought, typically triggered when a county reaches D3 (extreme drought) on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Livestock Transportation Costs: Assists with above-normal costs of transporting livestock to different grazing acres or feeding locations due to eligible drought.

Livestock Death Losses: Covers livestock deaths under specific circumstances not addressed by the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). LIP is the primary program for most weather-related death claims.

Honeybee Losses: Provides assistance for the loss of honeybee colonies (exceeding normal mortality), physical hives, and feed due to eligible causes like Colony Collapse Disorder or adverse weather events.

Farm-Raised Fish Losses: Covers death losses (exceeding normal mortality) and feed losses for eligible farm-raised fish species due to qualifying events.

Other Specific Costs: Covers gathering livestock for treatment of cattle tick fever and lost milk production when cattle are removed from commercial milking due to a positive H5N1 test.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for ELAP, applicants must:

• Be producers of livestock, honeybees, or farm-raised fish who suffered a qualifying loss
• Meet general requirements (U.S. citizen, resident alien, or eligible entity)
• Provide verifiable documentation of losses and their causes

Producers who certify as socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning, or veteran farmers or ranchers may receive higher payment rates (typically 90% versus standard rates of 60-75%).

Application Process

1. Contact Local FSA Office: Your first step for application forms and guidance.
2. File Notice of Loss (NOL) and Application for Payment (AFP): Submit both documents to your local FSA office.
3. Deadline: For losses occurring in program year 2023 and subsequent years, the deadline to file both the NOL and AFP is March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the loss occurred. This aligns ELAP deadlines with LFP and LIP.
4. Documentation: Provide verifiable proof of loss including receipts for feed or water transport, veterinary records, purchase records, inventory documentation, photos/videos, and supporting documents as required.

ELAP Resources

• Main ELAP Webpage
• ELAP General Fact Sheet
• ELAP Decision Tool (developed with FarmRaise)

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)

The Livestock Forage Disaster Program provides financial compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffer grazing losses due to qualifying drought conditions or fire on certain types of rangeland.

Covered Losses Under LFP

LFP covers two primary scenarios:

Drought-Related Grazing Losses: Compensates for losses on grazing land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover, or land specifically planted for grazing. The county where the land is located must be experiencing a qualifying drought intensity level, as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor during the normal grazing period for that specific forage type.

Fire-Related Grazing Losses: Compensates for losses when a producer is prohibited by a federal agency from grazing their normally permitted livestock on federally managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire.

If a producer’s land qualifies under both drought and fire provisions, they must elect to receive assistance for only one cause of loss.

Eligibility Requirements

Producers: Must own, cash lease, or be a contract grower of covered livestock during the 60 days prior to the beginning of the qualifying drought or fire. They must provide eligible grazing land in an affected county or be prohibited from grazing federally managed land due to fire.

Livestock: Eligible livestock include beef cattle, dairy cattle, buffalo, beefalo, equine, goats, sheep, alpacas, ostriches, emus, deer, elk, reindeer, and llamas maintained for commercial use.

Drought Trigger: LFP eligibility for drought is directly tied to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor ratings for the county:

AGI Limit: Producers with an average Adjusted Gross Income exceeding $900,000 are generally not eligible.

Payment Calculation

Drought Payments: Calculated based on the number of monthly payments triggered by the USDM drought severity. The monthly payment rate is 60% of the lesser of either the estimated monthly feed cost for covered livestock or the estimated monthly feed cost calculated using the normal carrying capacity of the grazing land.

Fire Payments: Calculated as 50% of the monthly feed cost for the number of permitted livestock prohibited from grazing on federally managed land due to fire, for up to 180 calendar days.

Payment Limitation: Total LFP payments are limited to $125,000 per person or legal entity per program year.

Application Process

1. Contact Local FSA Office: Obtain application forms and specific guidance.
2. Submit Application: File the completed application (CCC-853) and required supporting documents including proof of livestock ownership or lease, acreage reports for grazing land, and lease agreements if applicable.
3. Deadline: The application must be submitted by March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the grazing loss occurred.

LFP Resources

• Main LFP Webpage
• LFP Fact Sheet
• LFP Eligibility Maps (by forage type/year)

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)

The Livestock Indemnity Program provides direct financial assistance to eligible livestock owners and contract growers when their animals die in excess of normal mortality levels due to specific eligible causes. LIP also provides benefits for livestock that are injured due to an eligible event and subsequently sold at a reduced price.

Covered Losses Under LIP

Livestock Deaths Above Normal Mortality: Compensates for livestock deaths exceeding the level typically expected for the specific operation.

Eligible Causes of Loss:

• Adverse Weather: Includes hurricanes, floods, blizzards, wildfires, extreme heat/cold, lightning, tornadoes, winter storms, straight-line winds, hail, and earthquakes.
• Disease: Covers deaths from eligible diseases, including certain vector-transmitted diseases not controllable by vaccination or standard management.
• Animal Attacks: Covers deaths caused by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law.

Injured Livestock: If livestock are injured due to an eligible loss condition and must be sold at a reduced price within 30 calendar days of the event, LIP may provide payment based on the price difference.

Eligibility Requirements

Producers: Eligible applicants are livestock owners or contract growers (for poultry and swine) who legally owned or had contractual interest in the livestock on the day they died or were injured.

Livestock: Covered livestock include alpacas, beef/dairy cattle, beefalo, bison, caribou, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, poultry, reindeer, sheep, swine, and water buffalo maintained for commercial use. Wild animals, pets, or animals used primarily for recreation are generally excluded.

AGI Limit: The $900,000 average Adjusted Gross Income limitation applies.

Payment Calculation

Death Loss Payments: Calculated at 75% of the average fair market value of the specific livestock type and weight on the day before death occurred, as determined by USDA.

Reduced Sales Price Payments: For injured animals sold at a reduced price, payment is based on 75% of the difference between the animal’s value before injury and the reduced sale price.

Application Process

1. Contact Local FSA Office: Obtain forms and guidance.
2. File Notice of Loss (NOL) and Application for Payment (AFP): Submit both documents.
3. Deadline: For losses occurring in program year 2023 and subsequent years, the deadline to file both the NOL and AFP is March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the loss occurred.
4. Documentation: Provide verifiable proof including documentation of livestock deaths (number, kind, type, weight), proof of ownership/inventory, evidence linking deaths to the eligible cause, and documentation for reduced sales.

LIP Resources

• Main LIP Webpage
• LIP Fact Sheet
• LIP Decision Tool (developed with FarmRaise)

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)

NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops who suffer losses due to natural disasters. It functions as a risk management tool, similar to federal crop insurance, but for crops where standard federal crop insurance policies aren’t available in a particular county.

Crucially, producers must enroll in NAP and pay a service fee (or qualify for a waiver) before a disaster occurs, by established deadlines.

Covered Losses Under NAP

NAP covers losses resulting from qualifying natural disasters that cause:

Lower Yields: Actual production falls below the producer’s approved yield. Basic coverage requires a loss exceeding 50% of the expected yield.

Prevented Planting: Inability to plant more than 35% of the intended crop acreage due to a disaster.

Loss of Inventory: Applies to certain value loss crops like nursery stock or aquaculture.

Eligible natural disasters include damaging weather (drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture/wind, hurricane, tornado), adverse natural occurrences (earthquake, flood), and related conditions (excessive heat, plant disease, insect infestation).

Eligibility Requirements

Producers: Landowners, tenants, or sharecroppers who share in the risk of producing an eligible crop and are entitled to an ownership share.

Crops: Must be commercially produced agricultural commodities for which a standard federal crop insurance policy is not available in that county. This includes fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery stock, aquaculture, turfgrass sod, ginseng, honey, maple sap, bioenergy crops, industrial crops, sea grass, and forage crops grown for livestock feed.

Prior Enrollment: Producers must apply for NAP coverage and pay the service fee by the established application closing date for the specific crop before any loss occurs.

Coverage Levels and Costs

Basic Coverage (CAT): Provides coverage when loss exceeds 50% of the approved yield, paying at 55% of the average market price.

• Cost: Service fee of $325 per crop, capped at $825 per producer per county, and $1,950 total for multi-county producers.

Buy-Up Coverage: Higher protection levels covering losses from 50% up to 65% of approved yield, at 100% of the average market price.

• Cost: Service fee plus premium based on coverage level. Maximum premium per producer is $15,750.

Assistance for Underserved Producers: Producers certified as socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning, or veteran farmers have service fees waived for basic coverage and receive 50% premium reduction for buy-up coverage.

Payment Limits: NAP payments are limited to $125,000 per person or entity for basic coverage losses, and $300,000 for buy-up coverage losses.

Application Process

1. Contact Local FSA Office: Essential for obtaining forms, understanding crop-specific deadlines, and guidance.
2. Apply for Coverage: Submit application (Form CCC-471 or CCC-860) and pay service fee by the Application Closing Date for the specific crop.
3. File Acreage Report: After planting, report acreage for each covered crop by the established deadline.
4. File Notice of Loss (NOL): If disaster occurs, file NOL within 15 calendar days of the disaster, when loss becomes apparent, or the normal harvest date.
   • CRITICAL: For hand-harvested and perishable crops, NOL must be filed within 72 hours of loss becoming apparent.
   • For prevented planting claims, NOL is due within 15 days after the final planting date.
5. File Application for Payment (AFP): To receive payment, submit AFP within 60 calendar days after the coverage period ends.
   • Exception: For grazed forage losses, the deadline is 180 days.
6. Provide Production Records: Submit acceptable records of production for FSA to calculate approved yields and determine loss payments.

NAP Resources

• Main NAP Webpage
• NAP Fact Sheet
• NAP Related Information

Tree Assistance Program (TAP)

The Tree Assistance Program provides financial help to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers whose trees, bushes, or vines are damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. TAP helps cover a portion of the cost to replant or rehabilitate these long-term assets.

Covered Losses Under TAP

TAP provides cost-share assistance for:

Replanting: Replacing eligible trees, bushes, and vines destroyed by a natural disaster.

Rehabilitating: Pruning, repairing, or taking other measures to save eligible damaged plants.

Eligible plants include those that produce an annual crop for commercial purposes (fruit trees, nut trees, grapevines, berry bushes) and nursery trees grown for commercial sale. Trees grown for pulp or timber are not eligible.

While crop insurance/NAP typically covers the loss of the annual crop (fruit, nuts), TAP covers the loss or damage to the perennial plant itself.

Eligibility Requirements

Producers: Must be qualifying orchardists or nursery tree growers who produce eligible plants for commercial purposes. The producer must have owned the eligible plants when the natural disaster occurred.

Loss Threshold: The stand (planting) must suffer a mortality loss of more than 15%, after adjusting for normal mortality rates.

AGI Limit: The $900,000 average Adjusted Gross Income limitation applies.

Payment Calculation and Limits

TAP provides cost-share assistance based on the lesser of:

• 65% of actual replanting costs (for losses exceeding 15% mortality)
• 50% of actual rehabilitation costs (for damage exceeding 15%)
• Or the maximum eligible amount set by FSA for the specific practice

Higher Rate for Underserved Producers: Producers certified as socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning, or veteran farmers may be eligible for up to 75% cost-share for replanting.

Acreage Limits: Assistance is available for eligible losses on up to 1,000 acres per producer per program year.

Application Process

1. Contact Local FSA Office: Obtain application form and guidance.
2. Submit Application: File the application and supporting documentation.
3. Deadline: Application must be filed within 90 calendar days of the disaster event or when the loss becomes apparent.
4. Complete Work: Approved replanting or rehabilitation practices must be completed within 12 months from application approval.

TAP Resources

• Main TAP Webpage
• TAP Fact Sheet

General Application Tips for FSA Disaster Programs

Contact Your Local FSA Office First

Your county FSA office is your primary resource. They can:

• Confirm program availability and eligibility for your specific situation
• Provide correct application forms
• Explain documentation requirements
• Clarify deadlines
• Answer questions about your operation

Use the USDA Service Center Locator to find contact information.

Understand the Deadlines

Many programs require two key submissions: a Notice of Loss (NOL) filed after the disaster, and a later Application for Payment (AFP). Recent changes have aligned the NOL and AFP deadlines for ELAP and LIP to match LFP, but NAP retains very short NOL deadlines, and TAP has its own distinct deadline.

FSA Disaster Program Deadlines Summary

Always confirm current deadlines with your local FSA office, as program rules can change.

Documentation is Crucial

All FSA disaster programs require verifiable documentation to approve payments. Lack of adequate records is a primary reason applications are delayed or denied.

Before Disaster: Keep detailed inventory records, purchase receipts, birth/hatching records, planting records, production history, lease agreements, and documentation of normal mortality rates.

After Disaster: Document losses immediately with date-stamped photos or videos, receipts for related expenses, third-party verification where possible, and precise dates of when disaster occurred and losses were discovered.

Report Losses Promptly

Even where deadlines have been extended, reporting losses to FSA as soon as practical is always recommended. For NAP, the short NOL deadlines (15 days / 72 hours) make prompt reporting absolutely mandatory.

Utilize Available Online Tools

USDA and FSA offer helpful online resources:

• Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool: Helps identify relevant USDA programs based on your operation and disaster type
• ELAP Decision Tool and LIP Decision Tool: Help gather specific information and documentation needed for applications

While applying for disaster assistance involves significant paperwork and record-keeping, the potential financial benefits can be critical for recovery. Recent efforts by FSA to streamline deadlines for livestock programs may reduce some burden, but careful attention to detail, deadlines, and documentation remains essential for accessing these vital support programs.

Our articles make government information more accessible. Please consult a qualified professional for financial, legal, or health advice specific to your circumstances.