Drought Disaster Designation Opens Emergency Loan Path for North State Farmers

Farmers in several North State counties affected by drought have a federal assistance deadline extending into next spring.

A USDA disaster designation announced October 6th, 2026, identifies Del Norte, Humboldt and Siskiyou counties as primary eligible areas for emergency farm loans.

Producers in neighboring Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta and Trinity counties are also included through the designation’s contiguous county provisions.

The application deadline listed for this designation is May 17th, 2027.

Loans require an application and review

The designation allows the Farm Service Agency to consider emergency credit for qualifying producers. It does not automatically approve a loan for every farm in the listed counties.

Possible recovery uses include replacing essential equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farm operation and refinancing certain debts. Applications are reviewed using factors that include losses, available security and repayment ability.

These are loans, rather than an announcement of automatic grant payments.

The triggering disaster is drought. The federal announcement ties the designation to qualifying severe or more intense drought conditions during the growing season.

For agricultural families trying to determine what help may fit their situation, the next step is to contact their local USDA Service Center about the designation and application requirements. No individual eligibility or award amount can be established from a county’s inclusion alone.

View the USDA disaster designation, deadline and assistance resources