Agricultural News
USDA Designates Blaine County as a Primary Natural Disaster Area
Wed, 16 Apr 2014 11:10:54 CDT
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Blaine County in Oklahoma as a primary natural disaster area due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.
"Our hearts go out to those Oklahoma farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation's economy by sustaining the successes of America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We're also telling Oklahoma producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood."
Farmers and ranchers in the following Oklahoma counties also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their county is contiguous:
Caddo
Canadian
Custer
Kingfisher
Major
Dewey
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on April 16, 2014, 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.
Additional programs available to assist farmers and ranchers include 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.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...