USDA Designates More Ag Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON Nov 23/04 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in California, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin as primary agricultural disaster areas.

In California, Solano and Yolo Counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 22, 2004, due to damages caused by high temperatures and winds that occurred from March 1, 2004, through April 30, 2004. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Colusa, Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Sacramento, Sonoma and Sutter Counties.

Also in California, Tulare County was designated as a primary disaster area on Nov. 22, 2004, due to damages caused by heat that occurred from March 1, 2004, through Aug. 31, 2004. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Fresno, Inyo, Kern and Kings Counties.

In Montana, Fallon, Liberty and Sanders Counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 22, 2004, due to damages caused by insects that occurred from July 1, 2004, and continuing. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Carter, Chouteau, Custer, Flathead, Hill, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Pondera, Prairie, Toole and Wibaux Counties.

Boyd, Brown, Holt, Keya Paha and Rock Counties in Nebraska were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 17, 2004, due to damages caused by a drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing, and a freeze that occurred on May 14, 2004. Eligible because they are contiguous are Antelope, Blaine, Cherry, Garfield, Knox, Loup and Wheeler Counties.

Also in Nebraska, Blaine, Cherry, Hayes, Hitchcock and Thomas Counties were designated on Nov. 17, 2004, as primary disaster areas due to damages caused by a drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing and freezes that occurred from May 14, 2004, through May 22, 2004. Eligible because they are contiguous are Brown, Chase, Custer, Dundy, Frontier, Grant, Hooker, Keya Paha, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Perkins, Red Willow and Sheridan Counties.

In Oklahoma, Grant and Kay Counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 17, 2004, due to damages from high winds and hail that occurred from April 21, 2004, through June 2, 2004. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Alfalfa, Garfield, Noble and Osage Counties.

In Tennessee, 22 counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 17, 2004, due to losses caused by storms, including the remnants of Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Ivan, which occurred from Sept. 1, 2004, and continuing. These counties are:

Bradley    Hamblen     Macon    Rhea     Washington
Cannon     Hamilton    Marion   Roane    Wayne
Cocke      Lawrence    McMinn   Rutherford
Giles      Lincoln     Meigs    Sequatchie
Greene     Loudon      Polk     Unicoi

Eligible for the same disaster because they are contiguous are the following Tennessee counties:

Anderson   Cumberland  Hardin      Maury     Sullivan
Bedford    Davidson    Hawkins     Monroe    Sumner
Bledsoe    De Kalb     Jackson     Moore     Trousdale
Blount     Decatur     Jefferson   Morgan    Van Buren
Carter     Franklin    Knox        Perry     Warren
Clay       Grainger    Lewis       Sevier    Williamson
Coffee     Grundy      Marshall    Smith     Wilson

Also in Tennessee, Chester, McNairy, Van Buren and White Counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 22, 2004, due to rain, flooding, winds, and lightning that occurred from May 1, 2004, and continuing. Eligible because they are contiguous are Bledsoe, Cumberland, De Kalb, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, Madison, Putnam, Sequatchie and Warren Counties.

In Washington, eight counties were designated as primary disasters areas on Nov. 17, 2004, due to damage caused by various disasters, including excessive rain, hail, winds, lightning, flooding, a thunderstorm and a tornado that occurred between May 7, 2004, and June 30, 2004. These counties are Adams, Benton, Franklin, Grant, Spokane, Walla Walla and Yakima. Eligible because they are contiguous are the following Washington counties: Columbia, Douglas, King, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skamania, Stevens and Whitman.

Also in Washington, Spokane and Whitman Counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 22, 2004, due to a thunderstorm with winds, hail and lightning that occurred on Aug. 2, 2004. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties.

In Wisconsin, Ashland, Bayfield, Door, Douglas, Iron and Oconto Counties were designated as primary disaster areas on Nov. 22, 2004, due to various disasters, including rain, flooding and below normal temperatures that occurred between May 1, 2004, and July 3, 2004. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Brown, Burnett, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee, Price, Sawyer, Shawano, Vilas and Washburn Counties.