The USDA has issued a disaster designation for parts of Louisiana, making those areas eliglbe for Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance.
Acadiana's parishes are on the lists of those affected by the recent drought.
"A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary parishes and those areas contiguous to such primary parishes eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible areas have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans," a USDA release states. "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."
Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information, the release states.
The drought period began on December 30, 2025 and the application deadline is December 10, 2026.
These are the primary parishes in Louisiana: Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, DeSoto, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, Lafourche, LaSalle, Madison, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Mary, Tensas, Terrebonne, West Feliciana, and Winn
These contiguous parishes also are eligible: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lincoln, Ouachita, Richland, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, Vernon, Webster, and West Baton Rouge Parishes
These counties in Mississippi: Adams, Claiborne, Jefferson, Warren, and Wilkinson
And these counties in Texas: Newton, Panola, Sabine, and Shelby
On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help farmers determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.
FEMA offers different assistance programs for individual citizens, public groups including government agencies and private nonprofit organizations. To find the FEMA help you need following a disaster event, visit fema.gov/assistance.
