Farm operators in the San Luis Valley may be eligible for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
For details, contact your local FSA office for more information.
SAN LUIS VALLEY, CO - (10/19/2023)
Recent Disaster Designation
In accordance with 7 CFR 759.5(a), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, has designated four Colorado counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the recent drought. These counties include Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, and Rio Grande. Additional areas of Colorado have been named as contiguous disaster counties, including; Archuleta, Huerfano, Las Animas, Mineral, and Saguache counties.
Drought Severity Assessment
The designation was based on data from the U.S. Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/), which revealed severe drought conditions during the growing season, specifically D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or D3 Drought-Extreme and D4 Drought-Exceptional conditions.
Support for Farmers
A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.
Seek Assistance from Local FSA Offices
Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.
More Information
On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help producers and landowners determine program or loan options. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.