WEST LEBANON — Upper Valley farmers are eligible to apply for emergency federal loans to help them recover from this summer’s drought.
The United States Department of Agriculture designated Grafton, Sullivan and Merrimack counties as “primary natural disaster areas,” according to a USDA news release.
Farmers in New Hampshire’s seven other counties that border the three affected can also apply for funding, along with those in five counties in Vermont, including Orange and Windsor.
“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,” the release said.
Amid this year’s drought, multiple farmers in the Upper Valley have reported crop losses, ranging from fewer apples to corn silage.
After a wet spring, the Twin States entered a drought. By September, portions of Sullivan, Grafton, Windsor and Orange counties were in an “extreme drought,” the U.S. Drought Monitor declared. Conditions have eased somewhat since. As of last Thursday, portions of those four counties were in “moderate” and “severe” droughts.
The deadline for loans, which will be through the Farm Service Agency, is May 18, 2026. More information can be found at fsa.usda.gov.