USDA Designates Additional Nebraska Counties as Natural Disaster Areas Due to Drought

by USDA FSA

August 26, 2025

farmer wearing black rubber boots kicks up dirt while walking through dry, young corn field
With drought designations expanded to nearly the entire state, most Nebraska farmers now qualify for USDA emergency loans. Check the updated county list and learn how to apply before deadlines arrive this winter.

Editor’s Note: This news release reflects multiple USDA FSA disaster designation announcements. As a result, some counties may appear under more than one designation due to changes in drought status over time.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has designated numerous Nebraska counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought conditions. This designation opens the door for eligible producers in those counties — and surrounding ones — to apply for emergency loans to help recover from production and physical losses.

Emergency loans can help producers replace essential equipment or livestock, reorganize operations, or refinance certain debts. Loan approval depends on the extent of losses, available security, and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these areas experienced:

  • D2 (Severe Drought) conditions for at least eight consecutive weeks, or
  • D3 (Extreme Drought) or D4 (Exceptional Drought) conditions during the 2024 growing season.
Map of Nebraska counties showing USDA drought disaster designations. Counties in red are primary counties eligible for assistance, and counties in orange are contiguous counties also eligible. White counties are not currently designated.
Nebraska counties that have been designated primary and contiguous natural disaster areas as of Aug. 26, 2025 are highlighted in red and orange, respectively.

Application deadline for the following counties is March 16, 2026:

Primary counties: Butler, Fillmore, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hayes, Hitchcock, Phelps, Polk, Red Willow, Seward, York

Contiguous counties also eligible: Buffalo, Chase, Clay, Colfax, Dawson, Dodge, Dundy, Franklin, Hamilton, Harlan, Jefferson, Kearney, Lancaster, Lincoln, Merrick, Nuckolls, Perkins, Platte, Saline, Saunders, Thayer

  • Kansas counties: Decatur, Norton, Rawlins

Application deadline for the following counties is March 24, 2026:

Primary counties: Franklin, Harlan

  • Kansas counties: Phillips, Rawlins

Contiguous counties also eligible: Furnas, Kearney, Phelps, Webster, Dundy, Franklin, Harlan, Hitchcock, Red Willow

  • Kansas counties: Norton, Phillips, Smith, Cheyenne, Decatur, Graham, Norton, Rooks, Sherman, Smith, Thomas

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. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local  USDA Service Center.

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