Drought Disaster Designations in Colorado: Which Counties Qualify for FSA Emergency Loans in 2026
Whether your county is designated can decide if FSA emergency loans are even on the table. This guide explains how designations work and where to find the current county list.
Why does county designation matter?
FSA emergency loans are tied to a disaster designation for the area where your operation sits. A designation is a formal finding that a county or surrounding counties had qualifying losses. Without one, the emergency loan route generally is not open, though other credit options still exist.
The headline names 2026, so remember that designations change as drought conditions and paperwork move. A county that qualified last season may not this one, and a neighbor may qualify through contiguous status. Do not guess. Check the live list at FSA emergency loan information or ask your county office.
How are drought designations made?
In broad terms, drought conditions are tracked on the U.S. Drought Monitor, and USDA uses drought intensity measures over a period of time as one trigger for designation. Other disasters follow a separate process. The details of thresholds and duration are set by USDA, so read the official explanation and not a secondhand summary.
Colorado's geography makes this uneven. The Eastern Plains, the San Luis Valley, the Western Slope and the Front Range can all see very different conditions in the same season. A designation might cover one corner of the state while another looks fine. Local reporting from Drought.gov helps you see regional patterns.
What counts as a qualifying county?
A county can qualify directly if it meets the criteria, or as contiguous if it borders a county that did. Producers in contiguous counties are often eligible too. That is why you should look at the map around you, not just your own county line.
Ask your FSA office three things: is my county primary or contiguous, when does the designation window start, and what documents will I need. If you ranch across county lines, ask how they treat your base location versus your grazing allotments.
If your operation straddles a county line, take extra care. Grazing on a lease in one county while your headquarters sits in another is common in Colorado, particularly where summer allotments move cattle toward higher ground. Bring lease agreements and a map when you call, and ask the staff to tell you which county's status controls. The rural community resources guide has general help on finding local offices.
- Check primary and contiguous status
- Note the date the designation was issued
- Ask about your deadline to apply from that date
- Confirm whether grazing leases in another county count
What should you document right now?
Whether or not your county is designated, start keeping loss records. Photos of pastures, dated feed purchase receipts, hauling costs for water, culling and early sales, and notes on stocking changes all help show impact. Memory fades, and an application written months later is harder to support.
Pull copies of your production history, tax returns and balance sheet while you are at it. A lender or FSA reviewer will ask for them. The beef cattle management resources cover drought planning ideas, and CSU Extension publishes Colorado drought and range guidance.
Keep your own weather and range notes as well. Rainfall totals, stocking rates, the date you moved cattle off a pasture and the days you hauled water are the sort of facts that turn a vague story into a clear record. Photos with dates are inexpensive and persuasive. A simple spiral notebook in the truck works just as well as an app if you actually use it.
Other credit and relief to compare
An emergency loan is one tool. Your regular lender may restructure operating debt, and other federal programs may apply to livestock or forage losses. Some may carry deadlines separate from the loan program. Ask about everything at once rather than finding out later you missed a window.
Talk to your community bank or Farm Credit association early, before payments are in trouble. Lenders can do more with a heads-up than with a missed payment. If stress is building, you are not alone, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there by call or text at 988.
Where to check this week
Start with your county FSA office, then confirm on the official USDA pages. The Colorado Department of Agriculture and your local Farm Bureau often share news when designations come out. Sign up for notices so you hear early.
This site is an education resource, not a lender, and nothing here is financial or legal advice. For a lighter read, farm.FM has a farm news and satire section and a ranching section and a farm.FM piece on ranching through dry spells when you need one.
Check the reliability of anything you hear at the sale barn. Rumors about which counties are in or out spread fast and are sometimes wrong. The official list is the only one that counts.
Sources and further reading
- FSA Farm Loans: FSA direct, guaranteed, microloan and emergency loan information
- U.S. Drought Monitor: weekly drought maps
- Drought.gov: national drought information
- Colorado Department of Agriculture: state agriculture agency
- CSU Extension: Colorado State extension
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
Ask locally: Call your county FSA office and ask for the current designation status, then talk with a lender in Greeley or your home county.
General education only, not financial, legal or tax advice, and Colorado Rancher Loan Guide is not a lender. Rates, terms and deadlines change, so confirm current details with the lender or agency.