Twenty-four counties in West Texas and a number of counties in Western Oklahoma were designated by the federal government last week as primary natural disaster areas.
The designated areas include several counties in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. According to a USDA press release,Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the emergency designations due to recent drought and flooding disasters in West Texas and Oklahoma, including drought and excessive moisture and flooding.
The designations mean that the counties may be eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans from the USDA. The FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
Drought
Producers in Briscoe, Castro, Hall, Jim Wells, Nueces, Randall, Refugio, San Patricio, Swisher, Wichita, and Wilbarger counties who suffered losses due to recent drought are eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous Texas counties of Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Baylor, Bee, Briscoe, Brooks, Calhoun, Carson, Castro, Childress, Clay, Collingsworth, Cottle, Deaf Smith, Donley, Duval, Floyd, Foard, Goliad, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, Kleberg, Lamb, Live Oak, Motley, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Swisher, and Victoria, along with Cotton, Jackson, and Tillman counties in Oklahoma, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is May 11, 2020.
Excessive Moisture and Flooding
Producers in Armstrong, Bowie, Burleson, Collin, Ellis, Fannin, Floyd, Grayson, Hunt, Jackson, Lipscomb, Matagorda, and Red River counties who suffered losses due excessive moisture and flooding that has occurred since Sept. 1, 2018, may be eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in the Texas counties of Brazoria, Brazos, Briscoe, Calhoun, Carson, Cass, Colorado, Cooke, Crosby, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Franklin, Gray, Hale, Hemphill, Henderson, Hill, Hopkins, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Lubbock, Milam, Morris, Motley, Navarro, Ochiltree, Potter, Rains, Randall, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Swisher, Tarrant, Titus, Van Zandt, Victoria, Washington, and Wharton, along with Little River and Miller counties in Arkansas, and Beaver, Bryan, Choctaw, Ellis, Love, McCurtain, and Marshall counties in Oklahoma, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is May 6, 2020.