Rural Finance Authority Further Expands Loan Eligibility for Animal Disease Outbreaks

Zero-interest loans will be available for losses going back to April 2024

St. Paul, MN: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board has further expanded eligibility for zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans available to Minnesota farmers whose operations have sustained livestock losses due to three animal diseases: avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus. The RFA Board is now allowing losses from April 1, 2024, to February 24, 2026, to be eligible for the loan program.

This is an expansion of the RFA Board action taken earlier this month which stated an emergency existed with aMPV, HPAI, and H5N1, opening the Disaster Recovery Loans to producers sustaining losses from February 2025 to February 2026.

aMPV is a highly infectious respiratory disease affecting poultry. HPAI is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild birds and is fatal. H5N1, the same virus that causes HPAI in poultry, can also affect dairy cows and other animals; however, it rarely kills cows. 

The Disaster Recovery Loan Program offers affordable financing to support Minnesota farmers after declared disasters or hardship events, such as animal disease outbreaks. These funds are available to farmers for expenses not covered by insurance, including replacement of flocks or livestock, building improvements, or to cover the loss of revenue when the replacement, improvements, or revenue loss is due to the confirmed presence of one of the three animal diseases. Eligible farmers will work with their local lender to secure the loans from the RFA.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority is the state's agricultural lender with a mission to develop farm resources. RFA offers low-interest loan programs for a variety of farm activities.

More information, including full eligibility requirements, can be found on the Disaster Recovery Loan Program webpage. 

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