USDA’s Farm Service Agency is extending the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program(ELAP) for agricultural producers in Montana who suffered losses as a direct result of the St. Mary Canal siphon failure that occurred on June 17, 2024. FSA is making ELAP assistance available to impacted producers until the siphon is repaired.
ELAP assistance covers losses targeting livestock, honeybee, and aquaculture producers including:
- Loss of purchased forage or feedstuffs (stockpiled).
- Loss of mechanically harvested forage or feedstuffs.
- Losses resulting from additional costs of purchasing feed above normal.
- Assistance to cover increased costs associated with the transportation of livestock to feed, feed to livestock, and livestock water hauling.
- Grazing losses.
- Loss of honeybee feed or farm-raised fish feed and costs associated with purchasing additional feed above normal.
- Death losses of honeybees or farm-raised fish.
The final date to submit a notice of loss and application for ELAP for 2024 losses is March 3, 2025. Moving forward, the deadline to file a notice of loss and application for losses incurred in 2025 is March 1, 2026. Producers in Glacier, Hill, Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties affected by the St. Mary Canal siphon failure who have questions about ELAP should contact their county FSA office.
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Montana FSA
