USDA Disaster Declarations Issued for Illinois Counties

Tornadoes and drought conditions in Illinois during the 2023 growing season led to four USDA disaster declarations.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the declarations Monday after USDA reviewed the loss assessment reports and determined there were sufficient production losses to warrant a secretarial natural disaster designation.

The following counties received USDA disaster designations. Primary and contiguous counties are eligible for the same assistance.

Designation 1: March 31 tornado

• Primary counties: Bureau, Clark and Crawford
• Contiguous counties: Coles, Henry, Lawrence, Putnam, Stark, Cumberland, Jasper, Lee, Richland, Whiteside, Edgar, LaSalle and Marshall

Designation 2: April 4 tornado

• Primary County: Fulton
• Contiguous counties: Knox, Mason, Schuyler, Warren, McDonough, Peoria and Tazewell

• Primary counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Sangamon
• Contiguous counties: Bureau, Knox, Menard, Stark, Cass, Logan, Montgomery, Warren, Christian, Macon, Morgan, Whiteside, Henderson and Macoupin

Designation 4: Drought

• Primary county: Randolph
• Contiguous Counties: Jackson, Monroe, Perry, St. Clair & Washington

Hancock, Adams, Calhoun and Pike counties were included in a previous drought designation as contiguous counties included in a Missouri disaster designation.

A secretarial natural disaster designation allows the USDA Farm Service Agency to provide emergency loans to producers recovering from natural disasters. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. Those eligible should contact their local USDA Service Center to ask questions or file a Notice of Loss.