BOISE, ID—Due to severe drought, Clearwater and Bonner counties have been designated primary natural disaster areas. This designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.
The following contiguous counties are also eligible for assistance: Nez Perce, Latah, Idaho, Kootenai, Boundary, and Shoshone counties in Idaho; Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, and Sanders counties in Montana; and Pend Oreille and Spokane counties in Washington State. The application deadline is February 25, 2025.
“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 to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability,” the USDA says.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional during the growing season.
More Resources
On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance 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.
