GREAT FALLS — The USDA is offering loan assistance for agriculture producers in several Montana counties affected by natural disasters.
Toole County has been named as a Primary Natural Disaster Area, under the classification of the triggering disaster being hail and high winds that occurred from July 2 through July 18, 2022.
The USDA also designates two other Montana counties under the Primary Natural Disaster Area classification, including Dawson and Prairie counties – for severe drought. Custer, Fallon, Garfield, McCone, Richland, and Wibaux counties are other counties available.
The U.S. Drought Monitor says these counties have suffered drought for more than eight weeks during the growing season or D3 drought-extreme or D4 Drought-exceptional.
Application deadline for those counties on June 5, 2023.
A part of the USDA’s FSA emergency loan assistance program, producers can meet various recovery need requirements, including the replacement of equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or the refinance of certain debts.
The FSA branch will review the loans based on the assessed damages or losses, with review of the security and payment ability.
The application deadline for producers is June 26, 2023. Toole County remains the primary county eligible with contiguous counties also eligible, Glacier, Liberty and Pondera counties.
For other information or help on USDA disaster loan assistance, visit the USDA Service Center website.
