AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - Over half of Maine’s counties have been designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas due to the drought, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

This designation allows the USDA and Farm Service Agency to extend emergency credit to producers through emergency loans .

The U.S. Drought monitor shows that these counties were in the D2 Drought-Severe category for eight or more consecutive weeks, the D3 Drought-Extreme, or D4 Drought-Exceptional during the growing season.

The first designation covers Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, and Somerset.

The USDA says the following contiguous counties are also eligible: Aroostook, Lincoln, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Sagadahoc, Waldo and York.

The application deadline is May 22, 2026.

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