Program Description
FSA's Emergency loan program is here to help eligible farmers and ranchers rebuild and recover from sustained losses due to the following:
- Natural disasters like a tornado, flood, or drought.
- A quarantine imposed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
Emergency loan funds may be used to:
- Restore or replace essential property.
- Pay all or part of production costs for the disaster year.
- Pay essential family living expenses.
- Reorganize the farming operation.
- Refinance certain debts.
You may borrow up to 100 percent of your actual production or physical losses, up to a maximum of $500,000. Production losses must exceed 30 percent; other terms and conditions apply. View the Emergency Loan Program (PDF, 258 KB) fact sheet for details.
General Program Requirements
You may get an emergency loan if you’re a farmer or rancher who meets the conditions below:
- You own or operate land in a county declared by the President or designated by the Secretary of Agriculture as a primary disaster or quarantine area. A disaster designation by the FSA administrator authorizes emergency loan assistance for physical losses only in the named and all adjoining counties.
- You are an established family farm operator and has sufficient farming or ranching experience.
- You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- You have at least a 30 percent loss in crop production or a physical loss to livestock, livestock products, real estate, or chattel property.
- You have an acceptable credit history.
- You are not able to get credit from commercial sources.
- You can provide collateral to secure the loan.
- You have repayment ability.
Other terms and conditions may apply.
Application Process
To apply for an emergency loan, you must submit form FSA-2001, Request for Direct Loan Assistance (PDF, 4 MB) and all required documentation to your local USDA Service Center or FSA County Office.
