The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Mahaska and Monroe counties in Iowa as primary natural disaster areas due to the recent drought.

Farmers and ranchers in Jasper, Keokuk, Lucas, and Marion counties in Iowa also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Sept. 29th, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for FSA’s emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program;Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.