About one-third of the initial applications made to a federal aid program for disaster-stricken ranchers have come from the Dakotas, and most of the money doled out so far has gone to South Dakota producers.

South Dakota ranchers lost an estimated 43,000 cattle and other livestock in the early October blizzard, with over 1,000 killed in southwestern North Dakota and more than 3,000 in northwestern Nebraska.

The Livestock Indemnity Program, authorized by the new federal farm bill, started taking applications April 15 and had received 1,034 by May 1…326 from South Dakota and 32 from North Dakota.

The government says about $343,000 has been disbursed to ranchers nationwide so far – 85% of it to South Dakota ranchers. The applications from North Dakota are still being processed.