Illinois farmers have their first major financial hurdle cleared today by the federal government. The USDA today declared Illinois an agricultural disaster area due to the record flooding and now flash drought in the state. Following Governor JB Pritzker’s July 3 request for federal aid, the government declared the disaster area in all of Illinois’ 102 counties.
This Secretarial Disaster Declaration from USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue will provide new federal resources to aid recovery efforts. Low-interest FSA emergency loans may be used to restore or replace essential property, cover production costs, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the family farming operation or refinance certain non-real estate operating debts.
Farmers can find emergency loan applications on the FSA section of the USDA’s website.