From the Desk of FSA State Executive Director Craig McCain: July 2026

By Craig McCain

FSA State Executive Director

What a difference a month makes, seems like just yesterday that 90% of our State was in severe or extreme drought…what a change!  As you are aware, recent storms associated with Tropical Storm Arthur brought record breaking amounts of rainfall to the South-central portion of the state. One storm in Avoyelles Parish brought 29.06 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. Obviously, this event caused devastating damage to many farms and homes in these rural communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the impacted families and communities. Please know that USDA stands ready and is fully committed to supporting you through the recovery process. We are actively working with FSA county committees, local officials, other USDA partners, and Louisiana Department of Agriculture to assess damage and where warranted, we will seek USDA Secretarial disaster designations.  

If your farming operation sustained loss or damage to crops, livestock, buildings, other structures or equipment, USDA encourages you to carefully document losses and contact your local USDA FSA Office as soon as conditions are safe. Timely reporting of loss or damage is important and may help determine eligibility for available disaster assistance programs.

As farmers and livestock producers, you are reminded to:

  • document all damages and losses with photographs, videos, and written records;

  • keep receipts and records related to cleanup, repairs, and other recovery expenses;

  • record losses to crops, livestock, farm infrastructure, fencing, equipment, buildings, and conservation practices;

  • contact your crop insurance agent promptly if insured losses have occurred;

  • reach out to your local USDA Service Center before starting major cleanup activities (some exceptions may apply when there is a threat to safety or there is an urgent hazard mitigation need such as restoring fencing to confine livestock).

USDA offers several disaster assistance programs that may help eligible farmers and producers recover from losses caused by natural disasters, including assistance for livestock, certain crop losses, farmland and conservation practice rehabilitation or restoration, emergency loans and loan servicing options for current borrowers.

We understand many farmers and livestock producers are just beginning to assess the extent of loss or damage, and some areas may face additional inclement weather in the hours and days to come. As conditions allow, please reach out to your local USDA Service Center so we can connect you with the proper resources and support available. To locate your local USDA Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by severe storms and flooding. Those resources include the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet. 

USDAAvery Davidson