USDA Designates Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Nov 15/05 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties and parishes in Mississippi, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin as primary natural disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA).

In Mississippi, four additional counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by Hurricane Katrina that occurred from Aug. 29, 2005, and continuing. Those counties are Alcorn, Lee, Tippah and Tishomingo Counties.

As a result of this designation, all counties in Mississippi are eligible for all available assistance for which a primary Presidential or Secretarial natural disaster designation would be required.

In North Dakota, 37 counties were designated as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by multiple disaster occurrences including freeze damage, late spring snowstorms, overland flooding, torrential rainfall, standing water, hail, high winds, tornadoes, and hot, dry weather that occurred from March 1, 2005, and continuing. Those counties are:

Adams          Grant         Mountrail      Rolette
Benson         Griggs        Nelson         Sargent
Bottineau      Hettinger     Oliver         Sheridan
Bowman         Kidder        Pembina        Slope
Burke          La Moure      Pierce         Steele
Cavalier       McHenry       Ramsey         Towner
Dickey         McIntosh      Ransom         Traill
Divide         McLean        Renville       Walsh
Emmons         Mercer        Richland       Ward
Grand Forks

Also eligible because they are contiguous are the following counties:

Barnes         Dunn           Logan        Stark
Billings       Eddy           McKenzie     Stutsman
Burleigh       Foster         Morton       Wells
Cass           Golden Valley  Sioux        Williams

In Texas, Coryell County was designated as a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by high winds that occurred from July 15, 2005, through July 17, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous are Bell, Bosque, Hamilton, Lampasas and McLennan Counties.

In Wisconsin, seven counties were designated as a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by inclement weather, including unseasonable temperatures and winterkill, which occurred from Jan. through May 2005. Those counties are Clark, Marinette, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Walworth, Waukesha and Waushara Counties.

Also eligible because they are contiguous are the following counties:

Adams      Eau Claire    Jefferson    Ozaukee     Taylor
Brown      Florence      Kenosha      Portage     Washington
Calumet    Forest        Marathon     Racine      Waupaca
Chippewa   Green Lake    Marquette    Rock        Winnebago
Dodge      Jackson       Oconto       Shawano     Wood

The counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Oct. 31, 2005, 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.