Summer DroughtAnother week of worsening drought conditions in the High Plains and upper Midwest have created extensive issues for cattle producers especially with dried up pastures and hayfields. To combat the struggles, the USDA has disaster programs available for livestock producers affected by the drought and other natural disasters. Three of the programs — Livestock Forage Disaster Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, and the Conservation Reserve Emergency Haying and Grazing — provide compensation, benefits or special exemptions. Get a detailed condition updates for the hardest hit areas: Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.