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Program Description

FSA's Emergency Loan Program helps 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.

You may use Emergency loan funds 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% of your actual production or physical losses, up to a maximum of $500,000. Production losses must exceed 30%; other terms and conditions apply. View the Emergency Loan Program (PDF, 232 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 have sufficient farming or ranching experience.
  • You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  • You have at least a 30% 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.

Last Updated: 09/11/2019