Photo courtesy of Envato Elements
From staff reports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced help is available to cover a portion of transportation costs for producers who have had to haul feed during times of extreme drought conditions which are being made worse by high input costs.
Titled the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, ELAP will be a big help to cattle producers who have to haul cattle to feed sources, according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council. “Western ranchers experience daily the devastation caused by one of the most extreme droughts we have seen in recent years. From increased risk of catastrophic wildfire to lack of sufficient grazing lands, producers are facing hard decisions for herd management,” said Executive Director of PLC and NCBA Natural Resources Kaitlynn Glover. “This announcement comes at a critical time, and we are appreciative of both FSA and Sen. Thune for prioritizing the needs of cattle producers.”
ELAP is not an entirely new program. When first released, it helped cattle producers with the cost to move feed to livestock, but hauling cattle to other sources of feed is preferred is less expensive for producers, but the cost of moving the animals is an issue. This is what led to a letter sent to USDA from NCBA and PLC asking for changes to be made in the program to assist with livestock hauling costs incurred by producers.