MISSOULA COUNTY, Mont. – As various regions of Montana experience rapid wildfires and power-cutting thunderstorms, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on July 25 that farmers in certain counties are eligible to receive emergency loans for losses from drought this year.
Farmers located in Missoula, Flathead, Granite, Lake, Mineral, Powell, Ravalli, and Sanders Counties are eligible to apply, according to the USDA. On August 9, the USDA added 11 contiguous counties that could also be eligible for assistance.
Producers can apply these loans to drought-related losses such as production losses, equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts, as stated by the USDA.
Each of these counties has been determined to be in either exceptional drought, extreme drought, or severe drought for eight consecutive weeks, with Missoula County noted as the primary county in need.Â
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Powell County is currently in exceptional drought, the worst of the measurements.Â
Courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor
The deadline to apply is March 17, 2025.
