Hale County is among 30 Alabama counties designated as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) due to severe drought conditions.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins issued the designation after the U.S. Drought Monitor confirmed the affected counties experienced severe drought for eight or more consecutive weeks, or extreme to exceptional drought, during the growing season.
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate said the drought is placing significant stress on farmers and ranchers across the state, impacting crops, pastures, and livestock.
The designation makes farm operators in Hale County and neighboring counties eligible for emergency loan assistance through the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. These emergency loans can be used to:
- Replace essential equipment or livestock
- Reorganize a farming operation
- Refinance certain debts
The other primary disaster counties in the Black Belt region include Greene, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Sumter, and Wilcox. Perry, Bibb, and Dallas counties are listed as contiguous disaster counties, making producers there eligible for the same loan programs.
Farmers in eligible counties have until December 7, 2026 — eight months from the date of the declaration — to apply. The FSA evaluates each application individually based on:
- The extent of production losses
- Available collateral
- Repayment ability
To explore programs or verify eligibility, visit fsa.usda.gov/programs-andservices/farm-loan-programs. Producers can also locate their nearest USDA Service Center at farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator.
