Source: www.fsa.usda.gov
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 19 Texas counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to recent weather events may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
These natural disaster designations allow FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.
Flooding and Excessive Moisture – April 2019 and Continuing
Producers in Ochiltree County, who suffered losses due to flooding and excessive moisture since April 1, 2019, are eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Hansford, Lipscomb, and Roberts, along with Beaver and Texas counties in Oklahoma, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 3, 2020.
Flooding and Excessive Moisture – January 2019 – June 2019
Producers in McLennan County, who suffered losses due to excessive moisture and flooding that occurred Jan. 1, 2019, through June 1, 2019, are eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hill, and Limestone are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 24, 2020.
Drought
Producers in Coke, Concho, Stonewall, and Tom Green counties who suffered losses due to recent drought are eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Coleman, Dickens, Fisher, Haskell, Irion, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, McCulloch, Menard, Mitchell, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, and Sterling are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 23, 2020.
Additionally, producers in Bexar, Blanco, Coleman, Comal, Dallas, Guadalupe, Hays, Irion, Kendall, Kinney, Maverick, Schleicher, and Uvalde counties who suffered losses due to recent drought are eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Atascosa, Bandera, Brown, Burnet, Caldwell, Callahan, Collin, Concho, Crockett, Denton, Dimmit, Edwards, Ellis, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Kaufman, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, McCulloch, Medina, Menard, Reagan, Real, Rockwall, Runnels, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Tom Green, Travis, Val Verde, Webb, Wilson, and Zavala, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for emergency loans for producers in these 13 counties is June 24, 2020.
FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
The Secretary previously announced several Texas counties as primary natural disaster areas. A listing of all disaster designations can be found at fsa.usda.gov.
FSA has a variety of additional programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; and the Tree Assistance Program.
Farmers may contact their local USDA service center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.