Feds Provide Emergency Loans to Alabama Counties Affected by the Drought
Since December, Alabama farms, small companies, and nonprofit organizations affected by the extreme drought conditions have been eligible for emergency loans from the federal government.
@ClaudiasWorkshop 
38 Alabama counties, either directly or as adjacent counties, were declared as disaster zones by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. "More than half of Alabama was impacted by the drought," Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate said, advising farmers to get financing information from their local USDA offices.
Counties Affected:
Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Colbert, Coosa, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, Elmore, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, and Winston.
Conditions of the Drought and Prior Declarations
In late 2023 and early 2024, drought conditions affected nearly three-quarters of Alabama. With the designations in November for Dallas, Perry, and Wilcox counties, this is at least the third significant drought declaration for Alabama in the past two years.
Loan Support Is Available
Affected farmers have eight months to apply for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans as a result of the declaration. Additionally, small businesses, agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and aquaculture firms can apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Loan Specifics:
Funding of up to $2 million
Rates of interest as low as 4%
Payroll, accounts payable, fixed debts, and other costs can all be covered by the funds.
How to Use It
Applications can be submitted online, by phone at 800-659-2955 at SBA's Customer Service Center, or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. The deadline for applications is November 25.
