This bill updates USDA disaster aid so farmers, ranchers, and beekeepers can get help faster and in more situations. It lets producers who graze or farm on federal or state‑leased land qualify for emergency help, and it allows permanent fixes like water wells and pipelines. During declared droughts, it speeds up reviews on Bureau of Land Management land by letting Interior use reviews already done by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. It also clarifies that payments go to producers, not to state or local governments .

It strengthens livestock and honey bee aid. Ranchers can qualify for monthly forage payments when drought lasts at least 4 straight weeks in the normal grazing season (1 month of aid), or 8 weeks (2 months). Emergency help can cover feed and water shortages, including transport costs for feed, water, livestock, and bees, plus disease and bad weather. For beekeepers, USDA must set clear, consistent rules nationwide, factor in per‑hive and per‑colony loss rates, and adjust for colony collapse disorder; there’s no size cap tied to these changes. The bill also creates a federal working group to improve Drought Monitor data and methods, and it requires USDA’s Farm Service Agency and the Forest Service to align how they judge drought and to give consistent information to grazing permittees and others .

Key points

• Who is affected: Farmers and ranchers on private, federal, or state‑leased land; beekeepers; grazing permittees on federal lands .
• What changes:
  • Emergency repairs can include permanent wells and pipelines; faster drought‑time reviews on BLM lands using NRCS work; no payments to governments .
  • Livestock forage aid kicks in after 4 or 8 drought weeks with 1–2 months of payments; emergency aid can cover transport of feed, water, livestock, and bees; adds disease like cattle tick fever inspections .
  • Beekeeper aid uses per‑hive/colony loss rates, adjusts for colony collapse disorder, standardizes paperwork nationwide, and removes operation‑size limits for these changes .
  • Improves the U.S. Drought Monitor with better data and transparent methods; coordinates USDA and Forest Service drought responses and messaging .
• When: The working group must be set up within 180 days of enactment and report within 1 year; alignment actions follow soon after the report .