LUBBOCK, TX – Timely disaster assistance can help ranchers avoid forced herd liquidation when drought, wildfire or feed shortages leave few good options. Former Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux says the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program can be used more flexibly to help producers keep cowherds intact.
Ducheneaux points to North Dakota’s 2021 drought, when federal freight assistance helped ranchers bring feed to cattle or move cattle to feed. He says the goal was to prevent breeding cows from being sold into a distressed market.
That matters because a cowherd is not rebuilt quickly. Selling productive cows can erase years of genetics, delay future calf crops and reduce income for ranch families and local communities.
Ducheneaux argues one truckload of hay assistance could preserve several cow-calf pairs long enough to market calves and keep future production in place.
With U.S. cattle supplies already tight, drought response remains a long-term supply issue.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Flexible drought aid can help ranchers preserve cowherds, protect future calf production and support rural economies.