USDA Designates Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Aug 26/05 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in Texas and California as primary agricultural disaster areas, making certain farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers in the counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA).

In Texas, Gillespie County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 12, 2005, due to losses caused by high winds that occurred on June 1, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Blanco		Kerr			Llano
     Kendall		Kimble			Mason

Also in Texas, Burleson County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 22, 2005, due to drought that occurred from May 1 to June 30, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Brazos		Lee 			Robertson
     			Milam			Washington

In California, Sutter County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 18, 2005, due to losses caused by severe high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds that occurred from March 5, 2005, to March 15, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Butte		Placer			Yolo
     Colusa		Sacramento		Yuba

Also in California, Butte County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 22, 2005, due to losses caused by hail and late rains that occurred April 25, 2005, through May 20, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Colusa		Plumas			Tehama
     Glenn		Sutter			Yuba

Also in California, Lake County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 22, 2005, due to losses caused by unseasonable heavy rainfall that occurred May 18, 2005, June 8, 2005, and June 16, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Colusa		Mendocino		Sonoma
     Glenn		Napa			Yolo

Also in California, Mendocino County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 22, 2005, due to losses caused by rain and hail that occurred from May 15, 2005, through May 19, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Glenn		Lake		Tehama
     Humboldt		Sonoma		Trinity

Also in California, Stanislaus County was designated as a primary disaster area on Aug. 22, 2005, due to losses caused by excessive rainfall that occurred from April 20, 2005, through May 15, 2005.

     Eligible because they are contiguous include:
     Alameda		Mariposa	San Joaquin		Tuolumne
     Calaveras		Merced		Santa Clara

These counties were designated agricultural disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators eligible for EM loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses.