What Are USDA's Livestock Forage Disaster Program Payments?
August 19, 2026
The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) is USDA's primary tool for compensating ranchers when drought or wildfire reduces the availability of grazing forage. It's administered by the Farm Service Agency and funded as a permanent standing program — no emergency declaration is required by Congress.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for LFP payments, a livestock producer must:
- Have a grazing loss due to drought at the D2 (Severe Drought) level or higher for at least 8 consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period, as certified by the US Drought Monitor
- Own or lease the eligible livestock
- Own or lease eligible grazing land in the drought-affected county
- Have risk in the production of livestock for commercial purposes
For wildfire on federally managed grazing land, a separate trigger applies based on the type of federal allotment and the level of forage loss.
Payment calculation
LFP payments are calculated based on the number of eligible livestock head, the type of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, etc.), the applicable payment rate, and the number of months of grazing loss. Payment rates are set annually by USDA based on feed cost estimates. Cattle receive different rates than sheep; adult animals receive different rates than young stock.
Geographic concentration
Because LFP pays when drought reaches D2+ severity, its payments are geographically concentrated in drought years. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, and the Dakotas dominate LFP payment totals in severe drought years. In wet years, LFP payments may be minimal nationally. This volatility is visible when you compare state totals year-over-year in SubsidyLookup.
Finding LFP data
LFP appears under CFDA 10.090 in SubsidyLookup. Check program pages or use Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas state pages to see LFP's contribution to annual totals in drought-heavy years.