US farmers can get disaster payments for floods and wildfires, even on private land

The US Farm Service Agency will now pay livestock producers for losses from floods and wildfires on private land in 2023 and 2024. This expands an existing program that only covered drought and wildfires on federally managed land.

Farmers have always faced risks from natural disasters, but the financial support available often depends on specific definitions of what counts as a disaster and where it happens. This rule change means more farmers can get help when their feed costs go up because of a flood or a wildfire. It also means the government is taking on more of the financial risk for these types of events.