Farmers and ranchers in Grayson County can now seek federal emergency loans to recover from this year's drought, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture added the county to a disaster designation announced Thursday.
The Farm Service Agency's notice names eight Oklahoma counties as the primary disaster areas, including Marshall County just across Lake Texoma. Grayson is the only Texas county on the list, and it qualifies because it borders one of those counties. Producers in contiguous counties are eligible for the same help.
The designation came through the fast-track process for drought. Under the agency's rules, a county qualifies when the U.S. Drought Monitor shows it in severe drought for at least eight weeks in a row during the growing season, or in extreme or exceptional drought at any point.
What the loans cover
The designation lets the agency make emergency loans to eligible producers. According to the notice, the money can be used to replace essentials such as equipment or livestock, to reorganize a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. Each request is reviewed on the size of the losses, the security a borrower can offer and the ability to repay.
The deadline to apply is June 21, 2027.
