FARMERS, RANCHERS IN WASHINGTON, AREA COUNTIES ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR EMERGENCY LOANS FOR DROUGHT
Washington County is one of 25 Texas counties eligible for emergency federal funding due to drought.
Individual farmers and ranchers in the county are considered eligible by the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to apply for low-interest emergency disaster loans based on drought occurring October 1st and beyond.
The administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) has been instructed to make emergency loans available to eligible applicants in the county.
In addition, the Small Business Administration provides low-interest federal disaster loans to eligible small businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers in counties that have received a disaster declaration. The loans are provided through an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A total of 25 Texas counties, including Washington, Burleson, and Lee Counties, were declared primary natural disaster areas.
An additional 52 other counties were designated as contiguous counties, where eligible family farmers can qualify for FSA emergency loan assistance. Those include Austin, Brazos, Fayette, Grimes, and Waller Counties.
Those interested in applying for the emergency loans can learn more about the program at their local FSA office.