WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the release of Congressionally mandated Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments to cover grazing losses due to eligible drought or wildfire events in 2023 and/or 2024. Secretary Rollins committed on May 7 to release these emergency payments by May 30, and today she is delivering on that commitment ahead of schedule.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is leveraging existing Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) data to streamline payment calculations and expedite relief. Emergency relief payments are automatically issued for producers who have an approved LFP application on file for 2023 and/or 2024, and do not have to contact the USDA to receive payments.
“The Department of Agriculture is stepping up to support livestock producers by expediting disaster payments when drought and wildfires strike. Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA has the backs of ranchers, and that’s why we are delivering much-needed emergency relief ahead of schedule,” said Secretary Rollins.
The American Relief Act of 2025 provided funds for emergency relief payments. This program is the first of two authorized to assist livestock producers with eligible losses. FSA will announce additional ELRP assistance for other losses authorized by the Act, including flooding, later this summer. FSA expects demand for this first program to be great so that the ELRP payments will be factored at 35%. If additional funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.
Supplemental Disaster Assistance Timeline
The USDA is fully committed to expediting the remaining disaster assistance provided by the American Rescue Act of 2021. On May 7, we launched our 2023/2024 Supplemental Disaster Assistance public landing page, where the status of USDA disaster assistance and block grant rollout timeline can be tracked. The page is updated regularly and accessible through fsa.usda.gov.
The Act also authorized $10 billion in economic loss assistance to producers of covered commodities based on 2024 planted and prevented planted acres. To date, USDA has delivered more than $7.7 billion to producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP). The ECAP deadline is Aug. 15, 2025. Contact your local FSA county office for information.
