Highlights from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for Cattle Producers

By Josh Maples

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) was signed into law on July 4^th and included many provisions for agriculture. The nearly 900-page bill includes changes to programs affecting beef cattle producers, and I’ll highlight just a few of those updates in this newsletter.

Increased Payments from Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) 
The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) was modified to allow more financial relief during periods of severe drought. Some producers often refer to LFP as the “FSA drought program.” Previously, LFP provided one monthly payment for a D2 drought lasting eight consecutive weeks. Under the new updates, livestock producers are now eligible to receive two monthly LFP payments if their county experiences D2 drought conditions for 7 out of 8 consecutive weeks. Additionally, the program now triggers a single monthly payment after just 4 consecutive weeks of D2 drought during the grazing season. These changes are aimed at providing a faster drought response for producers relying on grazing. The chart above shows the length and severity of drought at the national level over the past 25 years. LFP is triggered at the county level.