USDA Offers Low-Interest Loans for Agricultural Producers in Arkansas Impacted by Natural Disasters

Contact: rhonda.oguinn@usda.gov

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

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, May 18, 2020 — Arkansas agricultural producers who lost property due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) physical loss loans. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers these low-interest loans to agricultural producers who incurred losses due to excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, hail, high winds, lightning, and tornadoes that occurred on Feb. 24 through April 29, 2020. Approval is limited to applicants who suffered severe physical losses only, including the loss of buildings and livestock. Applications are due by Jan. 8, 2021.

“Arkansas’s hardworking ag producers feed our neighbors, the nation and the world,” said State Executive Director David Curtis. “When they suffer losses because of extreme weather, helping them get back on their feet is important. We encourage those affected to reach out to their local USDA Service Center to apply for these emergency loans.”

Physical loss loans are available to eligible agricultural producers in Arkansas, Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Dallas, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Jackson, Jefferson, Lonoke, Marion, Monroe, Ouachita, Pulaski, Saline, Sharp, and Union counties.

Producers in the contiguous Arkansas counties of Ashley, Benton, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleburne, Columbia, Crawford, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Independence, Izard, Johnson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Logan, Madison Mississippi, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Perry, Phillips, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Randolph, St. Francis, Searcy, Sebastian, Stone, Van Buren, White, Woodruff, and Yell, along with Claiborne, Morehouse, and Union parishes in Louisiana, and Barry, Dunklin, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Stone, and Taney counties in Missouri, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Physical loss loans can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops and hay.

For more information on FSA disaster assistance programs or to find your local USDA Service Center visit farmers.gov/recover.