Under the old rule, your county needed eight consecutive weeks of D2 (severe) drought or worse — or eight weeks of D1 (moderate) — before LFP paid anything. Under the new rule, effective retroactive to January 1, 2026, four consecutive weeks of D2 pays one month. Seven of eight consecutive weeks of D2 during your normal grazing period pays two months.
As of early August 2026, nearly half of the Lower 48 is in drought and roughly 75% of the US beef cow herd is affected. Most cattle operations in the Plains, West, and Southwest now qualify.
This page describes what LFP pays, what documentation is required, and what the filing process looks like.
Check your county in one click
The USDA's LFP Eligibility Tool shows which counties currently qualify and for how many monthly payments.
Pick your state and county from the dropdowns. If your county is listed with an eligibility month count, you qualify. If it's not listed, your county hasn't yet met the D2 threshold — but the Drought Monitor updates every Thursday morning, and a single one-notch severity change can trigger a payment month. If you're borderline, check back weekly.
For 2023, 2024, or 2025 losses, ask your FSA office to pull the historical eligibility record for your county — that determines what you can still file for those years.
What LFP pays and how
For most producers, LFP works like this: for each eligible animal, you get roughly $25–$40 per head per month, times the number of qualifying months. The exact math is a 60% cost-share on the smaller of two numbers — the standard monthly feed cost per head USDA publishes each year, or the equivalent monthly feed cost from your grazing land's normal carrying capacity. For most operations, the standard per-head rate is what gets used.
Payment months by drought severity
Your county's U.S. Drought Monitor rating determines how many monthly payments you can claim.
| Drought severity | Duration | Months |
|---|---|---|
| D2 (severe) | 4 consecutive weeks | 1 |
| D2 (severe) | 7 of 8 consecutive weeks during normal grazing period | 2 |
| D3 (extreme) | at any point during normal grazing period | 3 |
| D3 (extreme) | 4 consecutive weeks | 4 |
| D4 (exceptional) | at any point during normal grazing period | 4 |
| D4 (exceptional) | 4 consecutive weeks | 5 |
The D2 rows reflect USDA's July 8, 2026 rule change, retroactive to January 1, 2026. The old threshold was 8 consecutive weeks of D2.
Per-head monthly payment rates — 2025 (last official)
| Livestock category | Rate per head, per month |
|---|---|
| Beef adult (cows, bulls) | $41.40 |
| Beef non-adult, 500+ lbs | $31.05 |
| Beef non-adult, under 500 lbs | $20.70 |
| Dairy adult (cows, bulls) | $107.64 |
| Sheep, goats, deer | $10.35 |
| Equine | $30.64 |
Buffalo/Bison and Beefalo match beef rates. Less common categories (elk, emus, llamas, alpacas, reindeer, ostrich) have their own rates — see the full 2025 rate table.
2026 rates: not yet published
USDA typically publishes annual LFP rates in a May fact sheet. As of August 2026, no 2026 fact sheet has been posted. Land-grant and ag-extension calculators (NDSU's 2026 LFP Calculator, Farmer's Navigator) are using estimated 2026 rates of ~$32.71/head/month for adult beef cattle and ~$16.36/head/month for non-adult beef cattle under 500 lbs — roughly 20% lower than 2025, reflecting the year's drop in feed costs. Other categories will likely scale proportionally.
Actual payment uses whatever USDA publishes when the 2026 fact sheet appears. The authoritative per-head rate for a specific claim is available from the local FSA office.
Eligible livestock
Beef cattle, dairy cattle, buffalo/bison, beefalo, sheep, goats, deer, elk, reindeer, equine, emus, llamas, alpacas, and ostrich are all eligible if they graze on eligible pasture or rangeland. Poultry, swine, and unweaned livestock are not eligible — the animal has to satisfy more than half its energy needs from grazed forage.
Payment cap
$125,000 per person or legal entity per year, across all LFP claims combined.
A worked example
Here's what LFP looks like for a typical cow-calf operation in the drought belt this summer.
The operation
- Eastern Colorado cow-calf ranch
- 120 mother cows (Beef adult category)
- County at D3 (extreme drought) since mid-June
The LFP calculation
Because the county reached D3 at any point during the normal grazing period, this operation qualifies for 3 monthly payments (see the drought-severity table above).
Using 2025 rates (the last officially published):
120 head × $41.40/head/month × 3 months = $14,904
If USDA's 2026 rates come in around the NDSU estimate of $32.71/head:
120 head × $32.71/head/month × 3 months = $11,776
So this producer is looking at roughly $12,000–$15,000 in LFP payments for 2026 losses, depending on which rate table applies when the claim is processed. Well under the $125,000 annual cap.
What LFP doesn't cover for this operation: if they also spent extra hauling in hay because their pasture is bare, that's ELAP — a separate claim under a different program. If any calves or cows died from heat or drought-related disease, that's LIP. If they filed for 2023 or 2024 losses and haven't received a top-up, that's SDRP. FSA offices can process multiple program applications in the same visit.
Your LFP estimate
Plug in your herd count and expected payment months. The math updates as you type. Nothing you enter leaves this page — no submit button, calculator inputs are never recorded.
Cattle 2 years or older. For mixed herds, use the count of your primary category — the rate table above has figures for other categories.
Based on your county's U.S. Drought Monitor status. Look up your county — the eligibility tool shows the current number of months.
Estimated LFP payment
Estimates for adult beef cattle only. Non-adult cattle, dairy, sheep, goats, and other categories use different rates — see the rate table above and multiply category-by-category, or the FSA office can run the full calculation. Actual payment depends on the rate table USDA publishes when the claim is processed.
The filing process
Filing an LFP claim has four steps. FSA county-office staff handle the mechanics; the producer's job is to bring the records.
- Notice of Loss. Filed at the local FSA office within 30 days of the loss event, or within 30 days of becoming aware of the loss. LFP has its own Notice of Loss form; the office provides it. The Notice preserves eligibility for a payment while the full application is still being assembled.
- Acreage report (form FSA-578). Ties grazing land to the county's drought designation. For operations already in the FSA system, the report is on file and needs a review, not a resubmission. For new operations, the county office files one.
- Livestock records. Head count by category (adult beef, non-adult 500+ lbs, non-adult under 500 lbs, dairy adult, sheep, goats, etc.), brand inspection records, and sale receipts from the past 12 months. FSA determines which records the specific claim requires.
- Full LFP application. Due by March 1, 2027 for 2026 losses. Earlier eligibility months in the same calendar year are included in a single application.
Find your local FSA office: farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator
The FSA capacity situation
FSA staffing has thinned materially since January 2025. USDA has lost more than 20,000 employees agency-wide, most of them through DOGE's Deferred Resignation Program. FSA specifically has lost nearly 2,000 people since 2024. County-office staff — the frontline for LFP applicants — dropped from 7,672 to 7,022 between January 2025 and January 2026, an 8% decline. As of the end of 2025, 42 FSA county offices had no on-site staff. The FY26 budget proposes an additional 22% cut to the agency's salaries-and-expenses account. USDA has said it plans to hire up to 9,500 employees but has not given a timeline.
The practical implications for LFP applicants:
- Processing timelines are longer than they were in 2023–2024. Some counties are reporting multi-week backlogs on applications that used to move faster.
- Some offices operate on limited schedules. Cheyenne County (Colorado) publicly stated it would not accept new LFP applications during peak-filing periods until certain dates; Kiowa County (Kansas) accepts intake questionnaires but pauses full-application processing during understaffing periods.
- Some producers travel further. Where a county office is unstaffed, applications route to a neighboring county's office, which can be an hour or more away.
- The 30-day Notice of Loss window is a legal deadline, not a processing timeline. A Notice filed within 30 days establishes eligibility regardless of downstream backlog.
Producers who have already filed and are waiting for money can check specific payment timing on the payments page.
The Farm Bill 2026 (H.R. 7567, passed the House on April 30 and expected to be enacted in early August) does not address FSA staffing directly.
How LFP claims get short-paid or denied
Four issues come up specifically with LFP claims:
- Retroactive eligibility from the July 2026 rule change. The lowered D2 trigger is retroactive to January 1, 2026. Claims filed under the old 8-week rules before the July announcement don't automatically recalculate — a review request to FSA is what surfaces any additional owed months.
- Unweaned livestock don't count. LFP defines "grazing animal" as livestock that satisfies more than half its energy needs from grazing. Unweaned calves at their mother's side don't meet the definition and are excluded from the head count. Claims that include them get corrected downward at intake.
- Acreage report mismatches (form FSA-578). LFP eligibility ties directly to the acreage report. If leased grazing land isn't on the report, or if the report is outdated, the covered acreage — and therefore the payment — is smaller than the actual operation. The report is separate from the LFP claim itself but load-bearing for it.
- Program confusion — LFP vs. LIP vs. ELAP. LFP pays for lost forage on grazing land. LIP pays for livestock deaths. ELAP pays for extra feed hauling, water hauling, or other losses not covered by LFP or LIP. A producer with drought losses in more than one category has multiple potential claims across programs.
Common LFP questions
Does leased grazing land count?
Yes, if the producer bears the grazing risk on the leased land — meaning the lease is a for-grazing arrangement rather than a cash-lease of the pasture itself. Leased grazing acres need to be on the producer's FSA-578 acreage report to be counted in the claim. Ownership isn't required; what matters is who's operating the grazing.
What if my county advances from D2 to D3 during the year?
LFP payment months are based on the highest drought severity reached in the county during the normal grazing period, not the severity at the time of filing. A county that reaches D3 at any point during the grazing period qualifies for 3 monthly payments even if it started the year at D2. When a claim is filed early and the county advances later, an amended claim can capture the additional months.
I have pasture insurance (PRF or NAP). Can I still file LFP?
Yes. LFP is a federal disaster program that operates separately from RMA insurance products like Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) or FSA's Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Since FY 2014, losses that trigger LFP are not counted as the same loss for NAP or crop insurance purposes — producers can receive LFP and pasture insurance for the same drought without one reducing the other.
When does the payment arrive after filing?
Historically, LFP payments were processed within a few weeks of a complete application. As of 2026, county-office backlogs are extending that timeline in many locations; some producers have reported multi-week or multi-month waits between application and payment. The Notice of Loss establishes eligibility on filing; the actual payment follows once the full application is processed and approved.
What if my grazing land is on federal (BLM, USFS) or tribal land?
Federal grazing permits and tribal grazing leases can qualify for LFP if the producer holds the permit or lease and bears the grazing risk. FSA has specific rules for federal- and tribal-land grazing that differ from private-land grazing (permit-based capacity, seasonal usage windows, etc.). The local FSA office — and, for tribal land, the tribal agriculture office — are the sources for how those rules apply to a specific operation.
Sources
Program documentation
- USDA Farm Service Agency — Livestock Forage Disaster Program. fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/livestock-forage-disaster-program-lfp
- eCFR Title 7, Part 1416, Subpart C — LFP federal regulations. ecfr.gov
- FSA May 2025 LFP fact sheet — the last officially published payment-rate document. PDF
- USDA press release, July 8, 2026 — "USDA Celebrates One Year Anniversary of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, Delivers Final Farmers First Program Improvements." usda.gov
Tools and calculators
- U.S. Drought Monitor — FSA LFP Eligibility Tool. droughtmonitor.unl.edu/FSA
- NDSU 2026 LFP Calculator — source for the 2026 estimated adult-beef rate. ndsu.edu
- Farmer's Navigator LFP Calculator — corroborating source for 2026 rate estimates. farmersnavigator.com
Reporting cited
- Nebraska Public Media / KCUR (Feb 2026), "USDA lost 24,000 workers under Trump, hurting critical resources for farmers." Link
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition — USDA Staffing Crisis series (June–July 2026). Link
- DTN Progressive Farmer (July 9, 2026), "USDA Lowers Drought Aid Trigger and Increases Depredation Coverage." Link
- Southeast AgNET (July 13, 2026), "USDA Expands the Livestock Forage Disaster Program." Link
- Prospect Partners LLC (June 2026), "USDA FSA Offices Without Staff in 42 Counties." Link
- Investigate Midwest (July 28, 2026), "Illinois led the US in direct, producer support staff losses." Link
About this page
What this is not. Not affiliated with USDA. Not legal or financial advice. Not a substitute for talking to a local FSA office, where actual payment amounts get calculated based on operation-specific factors and current rates.
Analytics and privacy. Privacy-friendly session analytics (PostHog) to make sure the site works as it's supposed to. IP addresses aren't captured, form and calculator inputs aren't recorded, and the Do Not Track browser signal is respected.
Who built this. Hugh Murphy, an outsider to ranching with a personal interest in regenerative agriculture and the resilience of American family ranching. Built as a volunteer project, free, for free use. Inspired by Zach Ducheneaux's writing on the actual return-on-investment of well-used federal ag programs.
Corrections or questions: [email protected]