On July 16, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) issued a new Secretarial natural disaster designation for Nebraska due to drought conditions. This designation allows additional eligible producers to apply for emergency loans to help recover from losses caused by the disaster.
Emergency loans can assist with:
- Replacing essential items such as equipment or livestock
- Reorganizing farming operations
- Refinancing certain debts
Loan approval is based on the extent of losses, available collateral and repayment ability. Application deadline is March 9, 2026.
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 eight or more consecutive weeks or (2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional:
- Primary Counties Eligible: Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Hall, Hamilton, Howard, Kearney, Merrick and Nance
- Contiguous Counties Also Eligible: Boone, Custer, Dawson, Fillmore, Franklin, Greeley, Harlan, Nuckolls, Phelps, Platte, Polk, Sherman, Webster and York
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.
