USDA Designates Nebraska Counties as Natural Disasters Due to Drought

This stakeholder notification represents eight separate Secretarial natural disaster designations. Such designations allow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. 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. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, counties listed in the eight Secretarial disaster designations 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.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5256: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Arthur, Banner, McPherson, Scotts Bluff, Sioux; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Keith, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, Morrill, Thomas; Emergency Loan application deadline is April 17, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5275: Primary county eligible in Nebraska: Dodge; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Burt, Butler, Colfax, Cuming, Douglas, Saunders, Washington; Emergency Loan application deadline is April 26, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5293: Primary counties eligible in Iowa; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Burt, Washington; Emergency Loan application deadline is May 26, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5297: Primary county eligible in Nebraska: Washington; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Burt, Dodge, Douglas; Emergency Loan application deadline is May 26, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5304: Primary counties eligible in Nebraska: Butler, Dawes, Douglas, Saunders; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Box Butte, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Lancaster, Platte, Polk, Sarpy, Seward, Sheridan, Sioux, Washington, York; Emergency Loan application deadline is June 5, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5307: Primary counties eligible in South Dakota; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Cherry, Dawes, Sheridan, Sioux; Emergency Loan application deadline is June 5, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5319: Primary county eligible in Nebraska: Polk; Contiguous counties also eligible in Nebraska: Butler, Hamilton, Merrick, Platte, Seward, York; Emergency Loan application deadline is June 15, 2023.

Secretarial Disaster Designation No. 5320: Primary counties eligible in South Dakota; Contiguous counties eligible in Nebraska: Cherry, Sheridan; Emergency Loan application deadline is June 15, 2023.

More Resources

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery 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.