(NDAgConnection.com) – The U>S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that they are offering an enhancement to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to help ranchers cover above normal costs of hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres.

“ELAP covered hauling feed to livestock and this new announcement provides additional relief for livestock producers hauling livestock to forage,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. We have received many calls and questions about hauling livestock, so we welcome this option as it makes sense for many producers.”

The assistance is retroactive for 2021 and will be available for losses in 2022 and beyond.

To be eligible, livestock must be intended for grazing and producers must have incurred feed or livestock transportation costs on or after Jan. 1, 2021. USDA will reimburse eligible ranchers 60% of livestock transportation costs above what would have been incurred in a normal year. Producers qualifying as underserved will be reimbursed for 90% of those expenses. Reimbursement does not include the first 25 miles and distances exceeding 1,000 miles.