Immediate steps are being taken to provide additional hay and forage to livestock producers in drought stricken states.

The move allows eligible producers to get hay and use grazing for land in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, up to 210 miles away from counties declared drought disaster areas.

Most local cattle farmers say they won't profit from the relief, plus the help is a little too late.

Many cattle up for auction at the Dothan Livestock Company are lighter due to the lack of hay and grass caused by drought conditions.

Most cattle farmers had to sell off their cows because there's no food to feed them.

Now that the rain has started to come down, many farmers are seeing greener fields for their cows.

So, the farmers that have CRP land, or land the government pays them to mow but not use, say the help is a little too late.

Lorren Granger raises cattle in Cottonwood and comes to the auction to sell his cows.

He needs some help from the government, because he's got to get some hay put up for the winter, but he'll have to keep waiting because he doesn't have CRP land.

And, he's not alone, many of his fellow farmers don't have CRP either, but they're holding out hope for federal funds for hay and supplemental feed.

However, right now, the farmers who do have CRP land in Houston and Geneva Counties can breathe a little easier during these hard, dry times.

One positive thing about the drought: the cattle market has been extremely good since they're selling cows that will go to Texas where they've seen lots of rain and green grass.