The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 77 counties in Tennessee, including Cumberland County, as primary natural disaster areas from a recent drought.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered a drought intensity value from severe to exceptional for 8 or more consecutive weeks.

A disaster designation makes farm operators in these counties eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance if eligibility requirements are met. Farmers have 8 months from the date of this declaration (March 25, 2024) to apply for loans.

For more information, copy and paste the following link into your web browser:

https://www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery?fbclid=IwAR3rdF8hCbucpKlauVRCkSrPlHucaC-v8uYNz2eZTyCr-a0jYhX92Lz44qk_aem_AR5liiWYZPVWfO_PAHusDo2ebviIZawVefJbDfxG8DdVCI3UTl6ZfWL0H3SnuFsxpsv81POyGHEl_12rHiAP8S22