USDA Designates 11 Texas Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Contact: FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

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

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2020 – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 11 Texas 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.

Drought

Producers in Briscoe, Floyd, Gray, and Motley counties who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Armstrong, Carson, Collingsworth, Cottle, Crosby, Dickens, Donley, Hale, Hall, Hemphill, King, Lubbock, Roberts, Swisher, and Wheeler, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Excessive Moisture

Producers in Bowie, Franklin, and Red River counties who suffered losses due to excessive moisture that occurred Oct. 1, 2019, through June 9, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Camp, Cass, Delta, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Titus, and Wood, along with Little River and Miller counties in Arkansas, and Choctaw and McCurtain counties in Oklahoma, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Freeze

Producers in Clay County who suffered losses due to a freeze that occurred on April 15, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Archer, Jack, Montague, and Wichita, along with Cotton and Jefferson counties in Oklahoma, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Excessive Rain and Flooding

Producers in Collin County who suffered losses due to excessive rain and flooding that has occurred since Oct. 1, 2019, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, and Rockwall, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Excessive Rain – March-April 2020

Producers in Ellis County who suffered losses due to excessive rain that occurred March 1 through April 30, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Dallas, Henderson, Hill, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, and Tarrant, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Excessive Rain – Since Sept. 2019

Producers in Hunt County who suffered losses due to excessive rainfall that has occurred since Sept. 1, 2019, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Collin, Delta, Fannin, Hopkins, Kaufman, Rains, Rockwall, and Van Zandt, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is March 2, 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.