The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated much of Nebraska as a natural disaster area due to ongoing drought conditions, making emergency loans available to eligible producers through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). These loans can help producers recover from losses by replacing essential equipment or livestock, reorganizing operations, or refinancing certain debts. Loan applications are reviewed based on the extent of losses, available collateral, and repayment ability.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties experienced drought intensity levels of either (1) D2 (Severe Drought) for eight or more consecutive weeks or (2) D3 (Extreme Drought) or D4 (Exceptional Drought) during the growing season.
The application deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026.
Primary Counties Eligible
Nebraska: Adams, Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Butler, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Clay, Colfax, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Kearney, Keith, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Loup, McPherson, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Valley, Wayne, Wheeler, York.
Contiguous Counties Also Eligible
Nebraska: Blaine, Brown, Cuming, Dakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Franklin, Harlan, Keya Paha, Lancaster, Logan, Nuckolls, Rock, Saline, Saunders, Stanton, Thomas, Thurston, Webster.
Colorado: Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Weld, Yuma.
Kansas: Cheyenne, Decatur, Norton, Rawlins.
South Dakota: Bennett, Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Clay, Fall River, Gregory, Oglala Lakota, Todd, Tripp, Union, Yankton.
Wyoming: Goshen, Laramie, Niobrara.
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.
