(Courtesy of isaaa.org)

The United States Department of Agriculture has given the following six counties emergency declaration for drought: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, and McHenry

This natural disaster designation allows the 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.

Illinois FSA requests that producers wait until the crop is harvested before inquiring about emergency loan assistance. The application deadline is Feb. 22, 2022.

Contiguous counties also eligible for assistance are: DuPage, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Will, and Winnebago

Many Illinois farmers are struggling with drought and crop production. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, six Illinois counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

To see what programs are available, visit farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-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.