USDA Designates Nebraska Counties as Natural Disaster Areas

(LINCOLN, Nebraska, 6/29/2023) This stakeholder notification represents all Secretarial natural disaster designations that have been granted in Nebraska to date since the start of 2023. Such designations allow 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 the refinance of certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. 

For the Secretarial designations listed below, the triggering disaster is drought. 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. The deadlines for emergency loan application vary by designation according to when the designation was issued.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5372: Primary county(ies) are located in Colorado; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Chase, Cheyenne, Deuel, Dundy, Kimball, Perkins. Application deadline is Nov. 17, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5376: Primary county(ies) are located in Kansas; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Dundy, Franklin, Furnas, Harlan, Hitchcock, Red Willow, Webster. Application deadline is Nov. 17, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5377: Primary county(ies) are located in Missouri; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Nemaha, Otoe. Application deadline is Nov. 17, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5391: Primary county(ies) are located in Iowa; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Burt, Dakota, Thurston, Washington. Application deadline is Dec. 1, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5392: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Boone, Boyd, Brown, Burt, Butler, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Colfax, Cuming, Dakota, Deuel, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Lincoln, Loup, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Perkins, Pierce, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Rock, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Stanton, Thomas, Thurston, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Adams, Box Butte, Buffalo, Cass, Clay, Custer, Dawson, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Harlan, Knox, Lancaster, Logan, McPherson, Phelps, Sarpy, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Valley, York. Application deadline is Dec. 1, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5400: Primary county(ies) are located in South Dakota; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Dakota, Dixon. Application deadline is Dec. 14, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5405: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Custer, Dawson, Gage, Garfield, Knox, Lancaster, Logan, McPherson, Saline, Seward, Sherman, Valley, York; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Antelope, Arthur, Blaine, Boyd, Buffalo, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Clay, Fillmore, Frontier, Gosper, Greeley, Hamilton, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keith, Lincoln, Loup, Otoe, Pawnee, Phelps, Pierce, Polk, Saunders, Thayer, Thomas, Wheeler. Application deadline is Dec. 28, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5406: Primary county(ies) are located in Wyoming; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Banner, Kimball, Scotts Bluff, Sioux. Application deadline is Jan. 1, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5408: Primary county(ies) are located in Kansas; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Nuckolls, Webster. Application deadline is Jan. 8, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5410: Primary county eligible in Nebraska: Grant; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Arthur, Cherry, Garden, Hooker, Sheridan. Application deadline is Jan. 8, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5414: Primary county(ies) are located in Kansas; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Jefferson, Nuckolls, Thayer. Application deadline is Jan. 16, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5416: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Franklin, Jefferson, Kearney, Nuckolls, Thayer, Webster; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Buffalo, Gage, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Phelps, Saline, Seward, York. Application deadline is Jan. 16, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5422: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Box Butte, Buffalo, Gosper, Harlan, Phelps, Sioux; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Adams, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Hall, Howard, Kearney, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman. Application deadline is Jan. 30, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5427: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Cass, Otoe, Sarpy; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Douglas, Gage, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Saunders. Application deadline is Feb. 5, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5436: Primary county(ies) are located in Iowa; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Cass, Douglas, Sarpy, Washington. Application deadline is Feb. 26, 2024.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5439: Primary county(ies) are located in South Dakota; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Boyd, Cedar, Keya Paha, Knox. Application deadline is Feb. 26, 2024.

More Resources

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