Nearly two-thirds of Tennessee's counties are now eligible for federal aid to offset the soaring feed costs livestock producers endured after Hurricane Helene's flooding in September 2024. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that 59 counties, including all of West Tennessee and much of East Tennessee, qualify under the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP)-a $1 billion national initiative aimed at helping farmers recover from floods and wildfires in 2023 and 2024.

According to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brook L. Rollins, the program will reimburse producers for up to 60% of three months of feed costs, with a cap of $125,000 per producer for each program year. Livestock covered includes beef and dairy cattle, buffalo, bison, beefalo, alpacas, llamas, deer, elk, reindeer, ostriches, emus, equine, goats and sheep. Producers who have already received the maximum relief from ELRP for drought or wildfire losses are not eligible for additional flood payments.

The USDA stated that livestock owners in the designated counties do not need to submit documentation of flood damage to qualify. Producers outside the 59 counties can still apply but must provide proof of a qualifying event in the county where their livestock were kept. Applications opened September 15 and close October 31.

Hurricane Helene drenched parts of Tennessee with 3 to 10 inches of rain, flooding fields, disrupting harvests, and washing out bridges and infrastructure-especially in Northeast Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture estimates the storm caused up to $1.8 billion in damage to farms and forestland. The American Farm Bureau Federation reported that the disaster caused transportation costs to surge, delayed feed shipments, and tightened replacement feed supplies, driving costs higher for producers.

Cattle and calves remain Tennessee's top agricultural commodity by cash receipts, making the ELRP funding especially critical for producers across the state. The program's funding stems from the American Relief Act of 2025, which earmarked about $940 million nationally for flood and wildfire assistance. Should applications exceed available funds, the USDA will apply a "national payment factor" to distribute aid proportionally.

For livestock producers recovering from Hurricane Helene, the USDA program represents a vital lifeline as they confront the compounding challenges of damaged infrastructure, disrupted supply chains, and record-high input costs.