WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2020 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated four Michigan counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

USDA Designates Four Michigan Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Contact: FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border State Also Available

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2020 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated four Michigan counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

This natural disaster designation allows 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.

Excessive Rain

Producers in Gratiot County who suffered losses due to excessive rain that occurred October 1, 2019, through June 3, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Michigan counties of Clinton, Ionia, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw and Shiawassee are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Freeze and Frost

Producers in Allegan, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties who suffered losses due to freeze and frost that occurred during April 15 through May 31, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Michigan counties of Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kent, Ottawa and Van Buren, as well as Elkhart and LaGrange counties in Indiana, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 21, 2021.

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

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.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.