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USDA Designates Two Iowa Counties Natural Disaster Areas Due to Drought in South Dakota

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. 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 to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Secretarial Declaration Number: S5474
Emergency Loan Application Deadline: April 1, 2024
Primary Counties Eligible: Primary counties located in South Dakota
Contiguous Counties Also Eligible: Lyon and Sioux (Iowa)
Disaster Description: Drought. June 6, 2023, beginning date of incident period.

More Resources

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options. Visit the USDA Disaster Designation Information site to view a full listing of disaster designations. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.