Agricultural operations in Oklahoma have been significantly impacted by recent wildfires. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events. This includes additional signup opportunities for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), which can assist landowners with financial and technical assistance to remove debris from farmland and materials from collapsed fences and structures on cropland or pastureland. Producers who experienced additional damage, even if they have previously applied, should contact their local USDA Service Center for more information on available assistance for farmland recovery.
“USDA has a suite of programs to support farmers and ranchers as they recover from disasters,” said Farm Production and Conservation Under Secretary Richard Fordyce. “I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.”
USDA Disaster Assistance
Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality or sell injured livestock at a reduced price may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). To participate in LIP, producers will have to provide acceptable documentation of death losses or evidence of reduced sales resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to FSA no later than March 1, 2027, for 2026 calendar year losses.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for feed and grazing losses. ELAP can also help offset the above normal economic impacts of transporting livestock to feed or hauling feed and water to sustain livestock through these disaster conditions. For ELAP, producers are required to submit a notice of loss and application for payment to their local FSA office no later than March 1, 2027, for 2026 calendar year losses.
“Once producers are safely able to determine and report their losses or damages, our local Farm Service Agency staff can help producers with program applications related to wildfire recovery,” said Eddie Fields, State Executive Director for FSA in Oklahoma. “As you evaluate losses on your operation, take time to gather important documents you may need to apply for assistance including farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. FSA staff will do their best to work with the loss documentation records you have available.”
Source : usda.gov