October 03, 2026

USDA designates disaster areas

By AgriNews Staff
A storm-damaged Tholens' Landscape & Garden center is seen in the aftermath of a powerful storm that ripped through the Kankakee area March 10 in northeastern Illinois.

A storm-damaged Tholens' Landscape & Garden Center is seen in the aftermath of a powerful storm that ripped through the Kankakee area March 10 in northeastern Illinois. (AP photo/Nam Y. Huh/AP)

WASHINGTON — Six Illinois and two Indiana counties have been designated as natural disaster areas due to to tornadoes, hail and high winds.

The designation allows U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency to extend emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disaster through emergency loans due to the March 10 storms.

Kankakee County in Illinois was designated as the primary county eligible. Contiguous counties also eligible are Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Livingston and Will in Illinois and Indiana counties of Lake and Newton.

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.

FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

The application deadline is April 30.

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool can help determine program or loan options.

To file a notice of loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.

Farm EquipmentFarm Service AgencyKankakee CountyLivestockTornado WatchUSDAWeather
AgriNews Staff

AgriNews Staff

The Illinois AgriNews and Indiana AgriNews staff is in the field each week, covering topics that affect local farm families and their businesses. We give readers information they can’t get elsewhere to help them make better farming decisions.