CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council are welcoming the USDA’s decision to expand the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program to cover a portion of the costs incurred from the transportation of livestock to feed sources.

“We are appreciative that the USDA Farm Service Agency listened to requests from producers who are suffering through the continued impact of multiple years of unprecedented drought and skyrocketing input costs,” said Allison Rivera, NCBA executive director of government affairs.

“As cattle producers continue to navigate challenges associated with drought, it is critical to ensure they have the resources necessary for their businesses to remain viable, while giving the highest quality care to their livestock,” she added.

Unprecedented drought has made rangelands insufficient for proper grazing across areas of the western United States where grazing is a main source of feed for cattle production.

“Western ranchers experience daily the devastation caused by one of the most extreme droughts we have seen in recent years,” said Kaitlynn Glover, Public Lands Council executive director and National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. of Natural Resources. “From increased risk of catastrophic wildfire to lack of sufficient grazing lands, producers are facing difficult decisions when it comes to herd management.

“This announcement comes at a critical time, and we are appreciative of both Farm Service Agency and Sen. (John) Thune (R-S.D.) for prioritizing the needs of cattle producers.”

The USDA’s announcement follows a letter the NCBA, the Public Lands Council, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the American Sheep Industry Association sent to Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux requesting the inclusion of coverage for moving livestock to feed during extreme drought conditions.

“For many regions, this marks the second consecutive year of exceptional drought,” the groups said in the Nov. 23, 2021, letter to Ducheneaux. “We have heard from many of our producer members in the areas impacted that hauling livestock to feed rather than feed to livestock opens additional options for feedstuffs and is more economically efficient.”

At a time when finding forage is a challenge, the groups told Ducheneaux the ability to look at feed that is not available to haul, like beet tops or corn stalks, is significant.

“Additionally, this reduces the number of loads needed, thus reducing the cost to the producer and the need to find more livestock haulers, which is critical in light of the pandemic-related supply chain shortages we are facing,” the groups said.

“Our understanding is that under the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, the secretary has made available a 60 percent cost-share to haul additional needed feed at a rate up to $6.60 per mile, not to exceed 1,000 miles (a higher percentage cost-share for socially disadvantaged livestock producers),” the groups added. “We believe that the same parameters would be sufficient for hauling livestock to feed.”

The emergency assistance program originally covered the cost of moving feed to livestock. But for U.S. cattle producers, hauling livestock to other feed sources that are not easily moved is often a more efficient and economical method. The groups also requested this provision already included for moving feed to livestock.

Susan Shultz, president of the American Sheep Industry Association, in Centennial, said her organization has heard from their producers that they appreciated the USDA providing emergency relief payments for forage losses due to the severe, ongoing drought.

“That assistance was designed to help producers with the additional expenses of hauling supplemental feed to livestock,” she said. “In the case of our sheep industry, many producers were forced instead to transport their flocks to new feed sources.”

She said her organization asked for this added flexibility for livestock hauling to be considered for relief payments.

“We had numerous conversations with Farm Service Administrator Zach Ducheneaux and others,” she said. “Our request made sense and the USDA listened.

“This positive action on the part of the USDA may help numerous producers survive this persistent drought,” she added. “Sheep producers are very resilient, and we hope they are able to continue producing our high-quality products of both lamb and wool.”