Livestock Operator Fire and Flood Assistance Grant Program in Arizona

The Livestock Operator Fire and Flood Assistance Grant Program (LOFFAP), offered by the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA), aims to provide crucial funding to landowners and lessees of livestock operations. This program directly addresses the critical need for reconstruction assistance following infrastructure damage caused by wildfires and their associated flooding. With a legislative appropriation of $10,000,000.00 to the Fund, and specifically $9,500,000.00 available for distribution, the LOFFAP aligns with a mission to support the continuity and resilience of Arizona's agricultural sector, particularly those vulnerable to natural disasters. The program's focus on infrastructure repair demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding the livelihoods of livestock operators and maintaining agricultural productivity in the state. The target beneficiaries of the LOFFAP are livestock-operation landowners and lessees who meet specific eligibility criteria. These include owning over forty animals, having infrastructure damaged by a wildfire and associated flooding, requiring assistance for repair to continue operations, and being ineligible for or only partially funded by other federal or state programs. The program prioritizes private, non-governmental infrastructure projects on private, State, and/or Federal land, ensuring a broad reach for those in need. The impact goals are centered on enabling these operators to restore their damaged infrastructure, thereby allowing them to continue their livestock operations and contribute to the local economy. Key priorities and focuses of the LOFFAP include equitable distribution of funds, with no more than 50% of the monies awarded to projects in any one county in a single fiscal year. Additionally, a grant cannot exceed 50% of the total cost of the grantee’s infrastructure project, including all amounts from other sources. This co-funding approach encourages shared responsibility and maximizes the reach of the available funds. The program also caps individual grants at an aggregate of $250,000 for damage from a single wildfire and associated flood, ensuring that support is spread among multiple affected operations while providing substantial aid where necessary. The expected outcomes of the LOFFAP are the successful repair and restoration of damaged livestock operation infrastructure across Arizona. Measurable results will include the number of livestock operators receiving grants, the total amount of funding disbursed, and the successful continuity of operations for grantees. The program's strategic priority is to act as a vital safety net for the state's livestock industry, mitigating the severe economic and operational disruptions caused by natural disasters. The underlying theory of change is that by providing targeted financial assistance for infrastructure repair, the AZDA can directly prevent the collapse of livestock operations, preserve agricultural employment, and maintain the food supply chain within Arizona, ultimately contributing to the state's economic stability and disaster recovery efforts.