Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available
Georgia agricultural producers who suffered losses and damages due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. The loans are made available under the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, for losses caused by two separate disaster events.
March 2018 Freeze
For the freeze occurring March 8, through March 23, 2018, the Secretary has designated the Georgia counties of Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Brantley, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Glynn, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Long, Lowndes, Montgomery, Pierce, Treutlen, Ware and Wayne as primary natural disaster areas.
Producers in the contiguous counties of Berrien, Brooks, Camden, Cook, Emanuel, Johnson, Laurens, Liberty, McIntosh, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Turner, Wheeler and Wilcox in Georgia and Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, Madison and Nassau counties in Florida are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
April 2018 Freeze
For the freeze occurring on April 17, 2018, the Secretary has designated Fannin, Gilmer, Towns and Union counties in Georgia, primary natural disaster areas.
Producers in the contiguous counties of Dawson, Gordon, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun and White in Georgia; Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina; and Polk County in Tennessee are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in all designated primary and contiguous counties will have until March 4, 2019, to apply for emergency 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 emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster.
Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include: Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree 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 at https://www.farmers.gov.