Agricultural producers who suffered losses and damages due to the 2018 drought may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue designated much of northern Missouri as primary natural disaster areas and made the loans available to farmers and ranchers.

For the recent drought, the farmers in the following Missouri counties can request emergency loans: Adair, Andrew, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Howard, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Mercer, Nodaway, Putnam, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland and Sullivan.

While five contiguous counties of Boone, Clark, Cooper, Knox and Platte were not given natural disaster designation, producers in these areas are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Producers in all designated primary and contiguous counties will have until April 1 to apply for emergency loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, considering the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster.

Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include: Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree Assistance Program.

Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.

Additional information is also available at farmers.gov/recover.

Source: USDA FSA