Agricultural operations in Wisconsin have been significantly impacted by recent drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from this adverse weather event.
“We know current drought conditions are adversely impacting crops, land, water supplies and livestock, creating financial and emotional strain for the farmers and ranchers we serve,” said Farm Production and Conservation Under Secretary Richard Fordyce. “I encourage producers to stay in close contact with their local USDA Service Center to report losses and damages and learn more about the many program options we have available to assist them in building drought resiliency and navigating drought recovery.”
USDA Disaster Assistance
Livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land may be eligible for the 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To participate in LFP, producers must own, cash or share lease, or contract grow eligible livestock; provide pasture or grazing land to eligible livestock on the beginning date of the qualifying drought; and certify that they suffered a grazing loss due to drought. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) maintains a dashboard for LFP eligibility. When visiting the dashboard, users must select an eligible pasture type before filtering by state and county. 2026 eligible pasture types for Wisconsin include: Native Pasture (Grass NAG), Annual Ryegrass, Forage Sorghum, Full Season Improved Pasture, Full Season Improved Mixed Pasture.
Wisconsin Counties currently eligible for LFP include: Ashland, Iron, Bayfield, Douglas, Burnett, Washburn, Rusk, Sawyer, Price, Oneida, Vilas, Pierce, Pepin, and St. Croix.
Source : usda.gov