USDA Designates 29 Tennessee Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Impacted Area: Tennessee

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track)

Application Deadline: 7/8/2024

Primary Counties Eligible: Anderson, Bedford, Blount, Cannon, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fayette, Giles, Hardeman, Haywood, Hickman, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Madison, Marshall, Maury, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Polk, Roane, Rutherford, Shelby, Tipton, White, Williamson

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison

Arkansas: Crittenden, Mississippi

Georgia: Fannin, Murray

Mississippi: Alcorn, Benton, DeSoto, Marshall, Tippah

North Carolina: Cherokee, Graham, Swain

Tennessee: Bledsoe, Bradley, Campbell, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Crockett, Davidson, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Grainger, Grundy, Henderson, Humphreys, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, McMinn, McNairy, Meigs, Perry, Putnam, Rhea, Scott, Sevier, Smith, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, Wilson

Impacted Area: Alabama

Triggering Disaster 2: Drought (Fast Track)

Application Deadline: 7/8/2024

Primary Counties Eligible: Blount, Covington, Geneva, Lawrence, Limestone, Marion, Walker, Winston

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Butler, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Houston, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa

Florida: Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Walton

Mississippi: Itawamba, Monroe

Tennessee: Giles, Lincoln

Impacted Area: Georgia

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track)

Application Deadline: 7/8/2024

Primary Counties Eligible: Bartow, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Whitfield

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Cherokee

Georgia: Catoosa, Chattooga, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton, Hall, Paulding, Polk, Union, Walker, White

North Carolina: Cherokee

Tennessee: Bradley, Hamilton, Polk

Impacted Area: Mississippi

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track)

Application Deadline: 7/8/2024

Primary Counties Eligible: Benton, DeSoto, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc, Tippah, Union

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Lamar, Marion

Arkansas: Crittenden

Mississippi: Alcorn, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Clay, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lowndes, Marshall, Prentiss, Tate, Tunica

Tennessee: Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Shelby

More Resources

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local  USDA Service Center.