WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to begin providing phase one of livestock disaster assistance payments by March.
According to USDA, phase one will:
“Our livestock producers have been hit by drought and other natural disasters over the last year, which has really taken a toll on their operations,” said Senator John Hoeven, R-ND. “That’s why we worked to set-aside $750 million in disaster assistance specifically to help our ranchers weather the challenges of 2021. We’ve been pressing USDA to get these funds out as soon as possible, and USDA now expects this aid to begin flowing to producers by March. This is good news and we’ll continue working to ensure the assistance is provided as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
The $750 million for livestock producers is part of $10 billion in disaster aid, with an additional $9.25 billion in disaster funding to extend WHIP+ to aid producers who suffered losses due to droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other qualifying disasters in calendar years 2020 and 2021. USDA announced it will provide that assistance in a two-phase approach as well, beginning this spring.
