Drought can take any farm or ranch down, and recent effects of drought have hit farms and ranches in some parts of Western states hard. But help is available with news that USDA has designated two Nevada counties as primary natural disaster areas.

Producers in Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada who suffered losses due to the recent drought may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans.

With this natural disaster designation, FSA can extend emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. These loans can be used to meet a range of recovery needs, including replacement of such essential items as equipment or livestock; help with reorganization of a farming operation; or the refinancing of certain debts.

Contiguous counties eligible, too

The declaration spreads beyond the two key affected counties, providing the ability for contiguous counties to apply for emergency loans as well. The Nevada counties of Nye and White Pine, along with Mohave County in Arizona; Inyo and San Bernardino counties in California; and Beaver, Iron, Millard and Washington counties in Utah are eligible to apply.

Deadline to apply for the emergency loans is Oct. 5.

FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, the security available and repayment ability.

There are a variety of other programs available to help farmers recover from the effects of this disaster. FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include: the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; the Emergency Conservation Program; the Livestock Forage Disaster Progream; the Livestock Indemnity Program; the Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; and the Tree Assistance Program.

To learn more, farmers in those areas can contact their local USDA service center for information about eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. More information is available online at farmers.gov/recover.

Source: USDA FSA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.