USDA Designates More Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Nov 15/05 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in Colorado, Nebraska, 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 Colorado, Delta and Kit Carson Counties have been designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by various disasters that occurred during 2005.

Delta County was designated due to losses caused by freezing temperatures that occurred on March 13, 2005, through April 20, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Gunnison, Mesa and Montrose Counties.

Kit Carson was designated due to losses caused by drought that occurred on Jan. 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Cheyenne, Lincoln, Washington and Yuma Counties.

The counties in Colorado were designated natural disaster areas on Nov. 7, 2005.

Thirteen counties in Nebraska have been designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by multiple disaster occurrences, including freeze events, hail, diseases and ongoing drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2005, and continuing. Those counties are:

Chase       Dundy       Hayes       Perkins        Sioux
Cheyenne    Furnas      Hitchock    Red Willow
Deuel       Garden      Morrill     Scotts Bluff

Also eligible because they are contiguous are the following counties:

Arthur       Dawes        Grant       Kimball       Sheridan
Banner       Frontier     Harlan      Lincoln
Box Butte    Gosper       Keith       Phelps

The counties in Nebraska were designated natural disaster areas on Nov. 3, 2005.

In Texas, Collin and Wood Counties have been designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from April 1, 2005, and continuing.

The Collin County designation occurred on Nov. 2, 2005, and the following counties are also eligible because they are contiguous: Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt and Rockwall Counties.

The Wood County designation occurred on Nov. 7, 2005, and the following counties are also eligible because they are contiguous: Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Upshur and Van Zandt Counties.

In Wisconsin, Dane and Vernon Counties have been designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by tornadoes and severe storms that occurred on Aug. 18, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous are Columbia, Crawford, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Rock and Sauk Counties.

The counties in Texas were designated natural disaster areas on Nov. 7, 2005.