Goshen County among areas designated in federal drought disaster declaration
Wyoming's drought conditions as of May 22 at 10:50 a.m. — via the U.S. Drought Monitor
TORRINGTON (WNE) — Goshen County has been designated a contiguous natural disaster area under a federal drought declaration issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on April 22, 2026, a designation triggered by severe drought conditions across the Nebraska border.
The declaration makes agricultural producers in the county eligible for low-interest emergency loans through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, providing a potential financial lifeline for ranchers and farmers who have endured one of the region’s more persistent stretches of dry conditions in recent years.
The application deadline for emergency loan assistance is Dec. 15, 2026.
Emergency loans can be used to replace essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganize a farming operation, or refinance certain debts.
Producers in Goshen County who believe they have suffered drought-related losses are encouraged to contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency office to learn more about eligibility requirements and to apply before the December deadline.
Precipitation totaling between 0.7 and 1.6 inches fell across portions of southeastern Wyoming, offering some short-term relief to parched pastures and rangeland. While the rainfall is a welcome development for producers managing livestock and dryland crops, agronomists and water resource officials caution that a single precipitation event does little to reverse a drought of the depth and duration that prompted the federal declaration.
This story was published on May 22, 2026.