The United States Department of agriculture has designated two additional Colorado counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Chaffee and Fremont counties who suffered losses due to recent drought, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

Designations were made earlier for Elbert, El Paso, Kit Carson and Pueblo counties.

This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. 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.

Producers in the contiguous Colorado counties of Custer, El Paso, Gunnison, Lake, Park, Pitkin, Pueblo, Saguache, and Teller, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is March 16, 2021.

FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

FSA has a variety of additional programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include

• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program
• Emergency Conservation Program
• Livestock Forage Disaster Program
• Livestock Indemnity Program
• Operating and Farm Ownership Loans
• Tree Assistance Program

Farmers may contact their local USDA service center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.