USDA Declares More Ag Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON - Aug 23/04 - SNS -- The USDA declared several counties in California, Colorado and Kansas as primary agricultural disaster areas.

In California, Alameda County is designated as a primary disaster area due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from March 1, 2004, and continuing. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Stanislaus Counties.

In Colorado the following counties are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing:

    Baca       Eagle      Jackson      Pitkin     Summit
    Chaffee    Fremont    Kit Carson   Pueblo
    Cheyenne   Garfield   Lake         Prowers
    Custer     Grand      Lincoln      Routt

Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing, freeze that occurred on May 13, 2004, and hail that occurred on June 5, 2004: Phillips

Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing freeze that occurred on May 2, 2004, May 14, 2004, and May 26, 2004 through May 28, 2004; and hail that occurred on June 1, 2004, and June 4, 2004: Yuma

Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing, and freeze that occurred on April 12, 2004, April 13, 2004, May 13, 2004, and May 14, 2004: Kiowa

Also eligible because they are contiguous are the following counties for:

Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing:

    Arapahoe      Elbert       Larimer        Park
    Bent          El Paso      Las Animas     Rio Blanco
    Boulder       Gilpin       Mesa           Saguache
    Clear Creek   Gunnison     Moffat         Teller
    Crowley       Huerfano     Otero

Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing, freeze that occurred on May 13, 2004, and hail that occurred on June 5, 2004:

    Logan     Sedgwick     Yuma

Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing, freeze that occurred on May 2, 2004, May 14, 2004, and May 26, 2004 through May 28, 2004; and hail that occurred on June 1, 2004, and June 4, 2004:

    Kit Carson    Logan    Phillips   Washington

Freeze that occurred on April 12, April 13, May 13, and May 14, 2004:

    Bent          Crowley      Otero
    Cheyenne      Lincoln      Prowers

The following ten counties in Kansas have been declared primary agricultural disaster areas by the Secretary because of hail, high winds, tornadoes, excessive rain and flooding that occurred April 23, 2004, through May, 29, 2004:

    Barber    Geary    Republic
    Cloud     Gove     Scott
    Cowley    Harper   Sumner
    Decatur

The following 29 counties in Kansas are also eligible because they are contiguous:

    Butler      Finney     Lane      Ottawa      Thomas
    Chautauqua  Graham     Logan     Pratt       Trego
    Clay        Jewell     Mitchell  Rawlins     Wabaunsee
    Comanche    Kearny     Morris    Riley       Washington
    Dickinson   Kingman    Ness      Sedgwick    Wichita
    Elk         Kiowa      Norton    Sheridan

The following 34 counties in Kansas have been declared agricultural disaster areas by the Secretary because of freezing conditions that occurred on April 7, 2004, through May 15, 2004, and drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing:

    Cheyenne    Greeley    Logan     Rawlins     Stanton
    Decatur     Hamilton   Mitchell  Rooks       Stevens
    Ellis       Haskell    Morton    Russell     Thomas
    Finney      Hodgeman   Ness      Scott       Trego
    Gove        Jewell     Norton    Seward      Wallace
    Graham      Kearny     Osborne   Sheridan    Wichita
    Grant       Lane       Phillips  Sherman

The following counties in Kansas are eligible because they are contiguous:

    Barton      Ellsworth    Lincoln    Pawnee      Smith
    Cloud       Ford         Meade      Republic
    Edwards     Gray         Ottawa     Rush

The California counties were designated on Aug. 18, 2004; the Colorado counties were designated on Aug. 14, 2004; and the Kansas counties were designated on Aug. 20, 2004, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.