USDA has just released this announcement for counties in Florida and contiguous counties in Alabama and Georgia:
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 27 counties in Florida as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused drought and excessive heat that began Jan. 1, 2011, and continues.
“Florida producers can count on USDA to provide emergency assistance during these difficult times,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I are committed to reducing the impact of this disaster for Florida producers and we will commit all available resources to help in recovery.”
Those counties are:
Bay Holmes Orange
Brevard Jackson Osceola
Calhoun Jefferson Palm Beach
Charlotte Lake Polk
Escambia Lee Santa Rosa
Gadsden Leon Suwannee
Gulf Liberty Wakulla
Hamilton Madison Walton
Hillsborough Okaloosa Washington
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Florida also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:
Broward Hendry Pasco
Collier Highlands Pinellas
Columbia Indian River Sarasota
De Soto Lafayette Seminole
Franklin Manatee Sumter
Gilchrist Marion Taylor
Glades Martin Volusia
Hardee Okeechobee
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Alabama and Georgia also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:
Alabama:
Baldwin Covington Escambia Geneva Houston
Georgia:
Brooks Decatur Echols Grady Lowndes Seminole Thomas
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas July 29, 2011, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.