Drought Assistance for Cattlemen
Helpful Drought Assistance Links
Drought conditions throughout the South and even Midwest regions of the United States have taken a toll on the U.S. cattle inventory. Lack of forage and pasture has forced ranchers to cut their cattle numbers and, in some cases, liquidate entire herds. There are drought and disaster related assistance programs available for cattlemen.
The Texas Department of Agriculture has created a Hay Hotline. The site allows those who have hay to post their listings and allows hay haulers to post their services to connect with individuals in need of hay. Click here to visit the Hay Hotline. In addition to Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have made hay resource directories available. For information on hay in Oklahoma, click here. For information on hay available in Kansas, click here. Another vaulable resource is available on Facebook. Two Oklahoma State University graduate students created a page to connect hay buyers and sellers. The Hay Connection is available here.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has multiple drought and disaster related assistance programs available to farmers and ranchers. More information about USDA’s drought assistant programs is available here and through a National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) overview fact sheet.
On September 19, 2012, it was announced by the USDA that $11.8 million in additional financial and technical assistance to help crop and livestock producers has been expanded to 22 additional states. This money will be used to apply conservation practices that reduce the impacts of drought and improve soil health and productivity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides this assistance through its Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Finally, if a producer is forced to sell livestock, in excess of normal levels, due to shortages of water, feed or other consequences of drought, the income tax on the gain from the sale of those animals may be postponed. To learn more about tax options for the drought sale of livestock, click here.