Over 106,000 producers in 40 states have received $1.2 billion in disaster payments as a result of livestock and grazing losses between October 2011 and passage of the 2014 farm bill.

This progress report was provided by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack who said, “Farmers and ranchers who waited two and a half years for a farm bill are now getting some relief. We met the very ambitious goal to get these programs up and running in just 60 days. Now, thanks to our dedicated staff in offices across the country, we’ve provided more than 106,000 payments to farmers and ranchers in 40 states who suffered drought, blizzard and other weather-related losses.”

The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that approximately $2.5 billion will be provided in disaster payments for the period from October 2011 through September 2014. Implementation of these programs was a high priority for the USDA. The department was able to implement the livestock disaster programs in 60 days compared to taking a year as it did after the 2008 farm bill.