USDA Designates Eight Alabama Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Dan Alabama, Industry News Release

alabama counties
Courtesy Alabama Cooperative Extension System

Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available

(USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated eight Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Clay, Coffee, Coosa, Covington, Elmore, Jackson, Randolph, and Tallapoosa counties who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans

This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts. 

Producers in the contiguous Alabama counties of Autauga, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Cleburne, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dale, DeKalb, Escambia, Geneva, Lee, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Montgomery, Pike, Shelby, and Talladega, along with Okaloosa and Walton counties in Florida; Carroll, Dade, Heard, and Troup counties in Georgia; and Franklin and Marion counties in Tennessee, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans. 

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 24, 2020. 

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The Secretary previously announced several Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas.  A listing of all disaster designations can be found at fsa.usda.gov

FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

FSA has a variety of additional programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish ProgramEmergency Conservation ProgramLivestock Forage Disaster ProgramLivestock Indemnity ProgramOperating and Farm Ownership Loans; and the Tree Assistance Program

Farmers may contact their local USDA service center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.

Source: USDA/Farm Service Agency