Farmers and ranchers who previously were forced to sell livestock due to drought, similar to the drought currently affecting parts of the nation, have an extended period of time in which to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales, the IRS announced in guidance.

Under IRS Notice 2014-60, farmers and ranchers who, due to drought, sell more livestock than they normally would may defer tax on the extra gains from those sales. To qualify, the livestock generally must be replaced within a four-year period. The IRS is authorized to extend this period if the drought continues.

The one-year extension of the replacement period announced on September 30 generally applies to capital gains realized by eligible farmers and ranchers on sales of livestock held for draft, dairy or breeding purposes due to drought.

Sales of other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, and poultry are not eligible.

The IRS is providing this relief to any farm located in a county, parish, city, borough, census area or district, listed as suffering exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), during any weekly period between September 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014. All or part of 30 states are listed below. Any county contiguous to a county listed by the NDMC also qualifies for this relief.

As a result, farmers and ranchers in these areas whose drought sale replacement period was scheduled to expire at the end of this tax year, December 31, 2014, in most cases, will now have until the end of their next tax year. Because the normal drought sale replacement period is four years, this extension immediately impacts drought sales that occurred during 2010. But because of previous drought-related extensions affecting some of these localities, the replacement periods for some drought sales before 2010 are also affected.

Additional extensions will be granted if severe drought conditions persist. Consult with your tax adviser if you have questions about your situation.

Areas Suffering Drought Conditions

Alabama

County of Henry.

Alaska

Boroughs of Denali, Fairbanks North Star, Matanuska-Susitna. Census Areas of Southeast Fairbanks, Yukon-Koyukuk.

Arizona

Counties of Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

Arkansas

Counties of Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Hempstead, Howard, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Lonoke, Miller, Monroe, Nevada, Ouachita, Phillips, Prairie, Pulaski, Sevier, Union,

California

Counties of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba.

Colorado

Counties of Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Teller, Weld, Yuma.

Florida

County of Jackson.

Georgia

Counties of Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Randolph, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Ware.

Hawaii

Counties of Hawaii, Kalawao, Maui.

Idaho

Counties of Ada, Adams, Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonneville, Butte, Camas, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Custer, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Lemhi, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Twin Falls, Valley, Washington.

Illinois

Counties of Adams, Bureau, Carroll, Champaign, Christian, De Witt, Douglas, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Lee, Logan, McDonough, McLean, Macon, Marshall, Mason, Menard, Mercer, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Piatt, Putnam, Rock Island, Sangamon, Shelby, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside, Woodford.

Iowa

Counties of Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Boone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Des Moines, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Story, Tama, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Webster, Wright.

Kansas

Counties of Allen, Anderson, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Lyon, McPherson, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson, Woodson.

Louisiana

Parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Claiborne, De Soto, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, La Salle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Tensas, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

Minnesota

Counties of Anoka, Benton, Brown, Chippewa, Chisago, Cottonwood, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Jackson, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Lyon, McLeod, Martin, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Murray, Nobles, Olmsted, Pope, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Sherburne, Stearns, Swift, Wabasha, Washington, Watonwan, Winona, Wright.

Mississippi

Counties of Attala, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Choctaw, Coahoma, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leake, Leflore, Madison, Montgomery, Neshoba, Oktibbeha, Panola, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tunica, Warren, Washington, Webster, Winston, Yalobusha, Yazoo.

Missouri

Counties of Adair, Andrew, Barton, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Jasper, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Newton, Nodaway, Putnam, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, Worth.

Montana

Counties of Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Gallatin, Granite, Jefferson, Madison, Missoula, Powell, Ravalli, Silver Bow.

Nebraska

Counties of Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Greeley, Hall, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Red Willow, Rock, Sarpy, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Stanton, Thayer, Thomas, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler.

Nevada

Carson City. Counties of Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine.

New Mexico

Counties of Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, DeBaca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, Sandoval, San Juan, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

North Dakota

Counties of Barnes, Foster, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, Stutsman, Wells.

Oklahoma

Counties of Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Craig, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Haskell, Hughes, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Love, McClain, McCurtain, Major, Marshall, Mayes, Murray, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Rogers, Seminole, Stephens, Texas, Tillman, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, Washita, Woods, Woodward.

Oregon

Counties of Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Union, Wasco, Washington, Yamhill.

South Dakota

Counties of Bennett, Brown, Clark, Codington, Day, Deuel, Fall River, Grant, Hamlin, Marshall, Roberts, Shannon, Spink, Todd.

Texas

Counties of Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Baylor, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Camp, Carson, Cass, Castro, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, DeWitt, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, El Paso, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox, Lamar, Lamb, Lampasas, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Shelby, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young, Zapata, Zavala.

Utah

Counties of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, San Juan, Sanpete, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Washington

County of Adams, Benton, Chelan, Clark, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Yakima.

Wisconsin

Counties of Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Richland, Saint Croix, Sauk, Trempealeau, Vernon, Wood.

Wyoming

Counties of Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Fremont, Goshen, Hot Springs, Johnson, Lincoln, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Platte, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater, Uinta, Washakie, Weston.