Share Your Conditions
Is the Drought Monitor Map accurate for the conditions in your area?
The CMOR reports you provide are critical in shaping the Drought Monitor Map, which is tied to federal assistance for farmers and ranchers.
See drought recovery resources and programs that may be available in your area.
Water Resources Cost-Share
By the North Dakota Department of Water Resources
Sponsors of local projects apply to the Department of Water Resources for funding for such projects as pre-construction expenses, water supply projects, flood control, rural flood control, recreation, irrigation and bank stabilization.
Drought Livestock Water Supply Assistance Program
By the North Dakota Department of Water Resources
The Drought Disaster Livestock Water Supply Assistance Program supports livestock producers facing water shortages due to drought. The program is activated only during periods of severe drought.
Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
This program helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. Eligible applicants include rurally located public bodies, nonprofit organizations, and Federally recognized tribes. Grants may be issued for sustained or imminent decline in water quantity or quality.
Emergency Conservation Program
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
The Emergency Conservation Program, administered by the Farm Service Agency, offers financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to repair and restore farmland affected by natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, wildfires, drought, and other calamities. The Emergency Conservation Program helps farmers and ranchers implement emergency conservation measures to rehabilitate damaged land, restore agricultural production, and prevent further environmental degradation.
Emergency Farm Loans
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
The FSA provides loans to producers to restore or replace essential property; pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the farming operation and refinance certain debts, excluding real estate.
Livestock Indemnity Program
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
Producers apply through the FSA for benefits if they have legally owned the eligible livestock on the day they died, or were sold due to injury, from an eligible natural disaster. The livestock must also: have died due to an eligible weather event and been documented as part of inventory and death evidence. Livestock must have been raised for, or part of, a commercial use in a farming operation.
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
Producers, through Farm Service Agency, apply for numerous categories of assistance: monetary assistance in response to operational losses that are caused by natural disasters. As program continues to grow, the following portions are growing in popularity: grazing losses indemnity to cover the forage days lost, stored feed damaged by weather to provide partial value back, or to assist in costs to replace that feed, costs to deliver that feed to livestock, partial reimbursement on costs associated to truckloads hauling above normal to include feed, the livestock ,and the value of water hauled.
Supplemental Disaster Relief Program
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
The American Relief Act, 2025, provides disaster relief payments to producers who suffered revenue, quality or production losses to crops, trees, bushes, or vines due to qualifying disaster events. Drought losses must have occurred in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a D2 (severe drought) for eight consecutive weeks, D3 (extreme drought) or greater intensity level during the applicable calendar year. A list of counties that are eligible for SDRP due to drought for 2023 and 2024 is available.
Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistant Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters. Crops must be non-insurable and commercially produced agricultural commodity crops for which crop insurance is not available.
Tree Assistance Program
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
FSA provides funding for commercial orchardists and nursery tree growers suffering losses in excess of 15 percent mortality due to a natural disaster.
Emergency Watershed Protection Program – North Dakota
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Services
Through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, the USDA/NRCS may be able to provide technical and financial assistance where damage done by a natural disaster poses an imminent threat to life or property, or both. For example, if upland sites are stripped of protective vegetation by fire or drought, they may qualify for emergency work supported by the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
Federal Crop Insurance
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency
Crop insurance provides comprehensive protection against a variety of adverse impacts on crops including extreme weather events such as floods, drought or hail in certain insurance packages. Federal crop insurance acts as a risk management tool and can mitigate economic impacts to producers.
Hay Hotline
By North Dakota Department of Agriculture
To view hay, pasture and hayland available, producers may visit the self-service Hay Hotline Map. To list any of those resources, producers may utilize the online Hay Hotline form. A special Hay Hotline program number is also available at 701-328-5110, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Conservation Reserve Program (Emergency Haying or Grazing)
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
Participants establish long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Emergency haying and grazing of CRP acreage may be authorized to provide relief to livestock producers in areas affected by a severe drought or similar natural disaster.
Livestock Forage Disaster Program
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
Producers apply through FSA to receive LFP payments for drought are equal to 60 percent of the monthly feed cost for a timeframe subject to the severity of the U.S. Drought Monitor rating in the county. LFP payments for fire on federally managed rangeland are equal to 50 percent of the monthly feed cost for the number of days the producer is prohibited from grazing the managed rangeland, not to exceed 180 calendar days.
North Dakota Mediation Services
By the ND Department of Agriculture
Mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which a neutral mediator guides the parties who are involved in a dispute through discussion of the issues and identify possible solutions.
North Dakota Mediation Service – Credit Counseling
By the ND Department of Agriculture
Credit counseling assists distressed farmers and ranchers with credit and financial matters through collaboration with a credit counselor to analyze profitability of the operation and develop options for success.
Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Resources
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
The USDA Rural Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Guide program vital information on programs and services for rural residents, business, and communities in long-term recovery and planning. There are resources outlined for homeowners, essential community facilities, businesses, and tribes.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program– North Dakota
By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Services
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service can provide technical assistance during the recovery process by assisting producers to plan and implement conservation practices on farms, ranches and working forests impacted by natural disasters. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program can help producers plan and implement conservation practices on land impacted by natural disasters.
Behavioral Health Services
By the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services
ND Health and Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division provides a comprehensive array of mental health services and how to access them on their website.
Suicide Prevention
By the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services
ND Dept. of Health & Human Services provides suicide prevention resources and guidance for how to help someone who is struggling emotionally or having a hard time. You can also order free suicide prevention & 988 materials here.
Farm and Ranch Rural Stress
By NDSU Extension
North Dakotan farmers and ranchers experiencing stress related to drought are encouraged to explore the Managing Stress resources page of the NDSU Ag Hub website. ND Health and Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division provides a comprehensive array of mental health services and how to access them on their website.