Severe Drought Takes a Toll on Alabama Farmers
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate announced that U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has officially designated 19 Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas following prolonged drought conditions. The designation reflects widespread agricultural losses during the most recent growing season.
“The drought severely affected several Alabama counties, impacting row-crop yields and forage availability,” said Commissioner Pate. He noted that many cattle producers were unable to harvest enough hay for winter feeding, forcing them to rely on supplemental feed sources earlier than normal. In addition, dry soil conditions delayed the planting of winter grazing crops, compounding the challenges faced by livestock operations.
Commissioner Pate emphasized that these drought-related hardships have placed significant strain on farmers and encouraged producers to reach out to local USDA offices to learn more about available assistance and support programs.
Drought Severity Meets Federal Criteria
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, counties included in the disaster designation experienced significant drought intensity during the growing season. Qualifying conditions included either D2 (Severe Drought) lasting eight or more consecutive weeks, or more extreme classifications of D3 (Extreme Drought) or D4 (Exceptional Drought).
These drought levels significantly reduced soil moisture and forage growth, leading to production losses across multiple sectors of Alabama agriculture.
Primary Disaster Counties in Alabama
The 19 Alabama counties designated as primary natural disaster areas are:
Barbour, Bibb, Butler, Chambers, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Monroe, Pickens, Pike, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa.
Farmers and ranchers in these counties are directly eligible for federal disaster assistance programs.
Contiguous Disaster Counties Named
Under Section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, additional Alabama counties have been named as contiguous disaster counties. Some counties may also already hold disaster status under existing federal regulations for the current crop year.
The contiguous Alabama counties include:
Baldwin, Bullock, Chilton, Clarke, Colbert (contiguous to declared counties in Mississippi), Coosa, Fayette, Franklin (contiguous to declared counties in Mississippi), Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale (contiguous to declared counties in Tennessee and Mississippi), Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Perry, Randolph, Russell, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Walker, and Wilcox.
Emergency Loan Assistance Available Through FSA
A Secretarial disaster designation allows farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Eligible producers have eight months from the disaster declaration date of August 29, 2026, to apply for emergency loans. Each application is reviewed individually, with FSA evaluating production losses, available security, and the producer’s ability to repay.
How Producers Can Get Help
Farmers seeking more information about disaster assistance programs or wanting to verify eligibility should visit the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Programs webpage or contact their local USDA Service Center through the Farmers.gov Service Center Locator.
State and federal officials continue to urge Alabama producers affected by drought to explore available resources as they work to recover from ongoing weather-related challenges impacting agriculture across the state.