USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) runs three livestock disaster programs:
- LFP, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, for lost grazing from drought. We cover it in its own guide.
- LIP, the Livestock Indemnity Program, for livestock that die (or get hurt) from a disaster.
- ELAP, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish program, for losses the other programs don't cover.
For 2026 losses, all three are due March 1, 2027. FSA moved them to one deadline: March 1 after the year of the loss. That covers both the notice of loss and the application.
LIP: when animals die
LIP pays when livestock deaths are above normal mortality because of:
- Eligible adverse weather, such as a blizzard, flood, extreme heat or wildfire
- Certain diseases
- Attacks by animals protected by federal law or reintroduced into the wild
LIP can also help when you have to sell injured animals at a reduced price because of an eligible event.
How much:
- Generally 75% of the market value FSA sets for that kind, type and weight of animal.
- 100% for losses to predators listed as endangered or federally protected. This is new for 2026 losses.
- Unborn livestock losses are now covered. FSA says most 2024 and 2025 unborn payments will be issued automatically from applications already on file.
- Starting in 2026, you can document your own higher market value. Sales records are the usual proof. That value is capped at 145% of the national average.
Records to keep: head counts before and after, dated photos, vet records, rendering or burial records, purchase and sale records, and anything showing the weather event.
ELAP: the "everything else" program
For livestock, ELAP covers things such as:
- Hauling water in a drought. The 2025 FSA fact sheet requires that any part of your county reached D3 (extreme drought), or 8 weeks in a row of D2, in a way that hurt your water supply during the normal grazing period. It pays for the hauling, not the water itself.
- Extra miles hauling feed, or hauling livestock to forage and back, because of an eligible drought. FSA uses a set per-mile cost and doesn't count the first 25 miles. For 2025 that cost was $3.50 a mile, before a percentage is applied.
- Feed lost or destroyed, such as hay burned in a wildfire or ruined in a flood, and extra feed bought because of an eligible event like a blizzard or winter storm.
- Gathering livestock to treat or inspect for cattle fever ticks.
ELAP does not pay for drought grazing losses (that's LFP) or death losses (that's LIP).
Payments are generally based on at least 60% of your eligible costs. For producers FSA classes as historically underserved, the feed-hauling rate is 90%. To qualify, you generally must have owned, leased or contracted for the livestock during the 60 days before the disaster started.
What to do next
- Start a loss file today. Use one folder or envelope per event, with dates written down.
- Log every load: date, miles, gallons or tons, and the receipt.
- Take dated photos of dead animals, damaged hay and dry stock tanks.
- Call your county FSA office soon after a loss, even though the deadline is March 1. Rules on proof and payment rates can change from year to year.
- Ask about screwworm. If you lose animals to New World screwworm, ask FSA whether those losses qualify under LIP.
Cownty keeps a deadlines calendar and can text you a reminder before the March 1 FSA disaster deadline.
Cownty is an independent service and is not affiliated with USDA. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. FSA determines eligibility and payment.
Check your county
Every county, by state: Texas · Oklahoma · Kansas · New Mexico
Official sources
- FSA – Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)
- FSA – Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP)
- FSA – ELAP Livestock Assistance fact sheet (May 2025)
- FSA – Working Families Tax Cuts Act program updates (July 8, 2026)
- 7 CFR 1416.107 – ELAP notice of loss and application period
- farmers.gov – USDA Service Center Locator
Rules and dates checked against these pages on Oct 18, 2026. Information only, not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice: the agency decides. Not affiliated with USDA or any government agency.