The USDA Farm Service Agency designated 57 Kentucky counties and six Texas counties as natural disaster areas on Aug. 10, unlocking federal emergency loan programs for farmers who suffered weather-related losses.
The Kentucky designations also make two Indiana counties eligible for emergency loan access as contiguous counties, while the Texas designations extend to contiguous counties in Oklahoma, the USDA said.
The disaster designations activate FSA emergency loan programs that provide low-interest financing to producers who have no other source of operating capital following qualifying losses. Eligible farmers can apply for loans to cover operating expenses, replace damaged equipment, or make necessary repairs.
The designations are the latest in a series of USDA disaster declarations covering multiple states this season, reflecting broad agricultural stress across the farm belt driven by volatile weather patterns.
Kentucky farmers have faced a range of weather challenges including excessive rainfall and drought conditions in different parts of the state. Texas producers have contended with ongoing drought stress in some regions and severe storm damage in others.
The FSA administers the emergency loan program from local county offices. Producers in designated counties and contiguous areas must apply directly through their local FSA office and demonstrate that they suffered losses meeting program thresholds.
The dual designations add 63 primary counties and additional contiguous counties to the growing list of federally recognized agricultural disaster areas in 2026.