By Theodore Ball
As drought conditions affect most of Nebraska, the USDA said Wednesday it's offering financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers across the state.
The announcement comes as Nebraska producers are recovering from both historic wildfires this spring and one of the most severe droughts in recent memory. Around 1 million acres burned across western and central Nebraska earlier this year – a state record. More than 80% of the state is currently in a moderate to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service are partnering with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Agricultural Profitability on a free webinar June 23 at noon to walk producers through available federal drought-assistance programs.
Available programs include the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, which compensates livestock producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought on privately owned or leased land. The deadline for annual acreage reporting in Nebraska is July 15, and applications for 2026 losses must be submitted by March 1.
Other programs listed include the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, which covers above-normal costs of hauling water and feed to livestock; the Emergency Conservation Program for emergency water conservation measures; and emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acres.
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