The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has agreed to the State’s request to include Pope County and two other counties in Minnesota as primary counties in an agriculture disaster area due to the impact of storms and resulting losses during the 2025 crop year. This “Secretarial” disaster designation by the USDA allows for certain programs to be accessed by eligible farm operators in the area, as described below:
A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for FSA emergency loan assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.
More information regarding the disaster declaration, the areas included, and programs that are available to affected farm operators can be found by following the links below:
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Disaster Recovery Loan Program page
- Scanned letter from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to Minnesota Governor Walz announcing the designation of the disaster area as requested by the State
- Map of the Secretarial disaster declaration area including Pope County as the Primary County and as well as all contiguous counties.
Farm operators seeking more information on the disaster recovery programs and resources and on operator eligibility can contact the Pope County FSA Office at 1680 N. Franklin Street in Glenwood or call (320) 634-5143.
The full text of the USDA letter to the Governor Appears below:
USDA Office of the Under Secretary
for Farm Production and Conservation
Washington, D.C. 20250
March 31, 2026
THE HONORABLE TIM WALZ
Governor
State of Minnesota
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Dear Governor Walz:
On September 25, 2025, the Minnesota State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), for the United States Department of Agriculture, requested a primary county disaster designation for three Minnesota counties due to losses caused by multiple disasters that occurred during the 2025 Crop Year.
The Department reviewed the loss assessment reports and determined that there were sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation; therefore, I am
designating all three Minnesota counties as primary natural disaster areas, in three separate disaster designations. In accordance with section 321 (a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, additional areas of your State are named as contiguous disaster counties. Enclosed you will find documentation that provides a detailed list of all primary and contiguous counties impacted by these disasters.
A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for FSA emergency loan
assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.
Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.
Sincerely,
BROOKE S. APPLETON
Deputy Under Secretary