Eligibility

(a) In addition to meeting all other requirements, to be eligible for benefits under this subpart, an individual or legal entity with an eligible producer interest in grazing land acreage who is either an owner or contract grower of grazing animals, must:

(1) During the 60 days prior to the beginning date of a qualifying drought or fire, own, cash or share lease, or be a contract grower of covered livestock.

(2) As of the date of the qualifying drought or fire provide pastureland or grazing land for covered livestock, including cash-leased pastureland or grazing land, that is:

(i) Physically located in a county affected by a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the specific forage crop acreage in the county, or

(ii) Rangeland managed by a Federal agency for which the otherwise eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the Federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock due to a qualifying fire.

(b) The eligible livestock producer must have certified that the livestock producer has suffered a grazing loss due to a qualifying drought or fire to be eligible for LFP payments.

(c) An eligible livestock producer does not include any owner, cash or share lessee, or contract grower of livestock that rents or leases pastureland or grazing land owned by another person on a rate-of-gain basis. (That is, where the lease or rental agreement calls for payment based in whole or in part on the amount of weight gained by the animals that use the pastureland or grazing land.)

(d) A producer seeking payment must not be prohibited from receiving these benefits as a result of the restrictions applicable to foreign persons contained in § 1416.3(b) and must meet all other requirements of subpart A of this part and other applicable USDA regulations.

(e) If a contract grower is an eligible livestock producer for covered livestock, the owner of that livestock is not eligible for payment.

[79 FR 21097, Apr. 14, 2014, as amended at 83 FR 49467, Oct. 2, 2018; 85 FR 10965, Feb. 26, 2020]