The Flathead County Commissioners have been working hard -- and somewhat behind the scenes -- to push for federal relief to the business owners impacted by the low water in Flathead Lake. The USDA affirmation on July 31, 2023, was for agricultural loans through the Farm Services Agency to help the farmers on the river and east side of the lake.
Small nonfarm businesses in ten Montana counties and neighboring counties in Idaho are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties that began June 1. The attached SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available to Montana Small Businesses can be used to help marinas, restaurants, boat rentals, etc. that have been negatively impacted. “We see this as a huge win for our business owners in Flathead County,” said Commissioner Randy Brodehl. “This by far will have the biggest impact on our community.”
These services can be accessed by calling one of the 2 area offices in Montana. The contact info is here – https://www.sba.gov/district/montana [sba.gov]
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available to Montana Small Businesses
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Small nonfarm businesses in 10 Montana counties and neighboring counties in Idaho are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties that began June 1.
Primary Montana counties: Flathead and Lincoln;
Neighboring Montana counties: Glacier, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Pondera, Powell, Sanders and Teton;
Neighboring Idaho counties: Bonner and Boundary.
“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Garfield said.
Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
“Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4 percent for businesses and 2.375 percent for private nonprofit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years, and are available to small businesses and most private nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Garfield said.
By law, SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. The Secretary declared this disaster on July 31.
Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The deadline to apply for economic injury is April 1, 2024.
Additional resources listed below:
The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services Division has consulted with FSA, USDA, and FEMA Region 8 to identify drought resources. The Region 8 office pulled together the attached document that lists the different federal programs that have some type of assistance. Of the programs listed on the document, FSA has rolled out the following programs:
- Livestock Feed Program – This helps offset livestock grazing losses
- Emergency Livestock Assistance Program – This helps with feed transportation costs above normal
- Conservation Reserve Program, Emergency Haying and Grazing – This helps to provide additional feed for livestock.
The best way to access these services is for the business to contact the USDA area or state office listed here – https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-page/montana-contacts [rd.usda.gov]
Additionally, the Governor’s request for a Secretarial drought disaster has triggered Economic Injury Disaster Loans from SBA. These are for businesses adversely impacted by the disaster.