USDA Designates Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Jan 5/06 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in California, Oregon and Texas 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, 10 counties were designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2005, and continuing; and wind, heavy rain and hail that occurred during the period of June 8, 2005, through Sept. 8, 2005. Those 10 counties are:

Crowley      Lincoln      Park         Pueblo       Washington
El Paso      Otero        Phillips     Teller       Yuma

The following counties are also eligible because they are contiguous:

Adams        Cheyenne     Elbert       Kiowa        Logan
Arapahoe     Clear Creek  Fremont      Kit Carson   Morgan
Bent         Custer       Huerfano     Lake         Sedgwick
Chaffee      Douglas      Jefferson    Las Animas   Summi

In New York, 12 counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas.

Chemung, Tioga and Jefferson Counties were designated as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred on April 2, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Broome, Cortland, Lewis, Oswego, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Steuben and Tompkins Counties.

Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Saratoga, Schuyler and Seneca were designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by extremely cool temperatures, frost and freezes that occurred from May 12, 2005, through May 17, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are the following counties:

Albany       Hamilton     Montgomery   Steuben      Yates
Cayuga       Herkimer     Ontario      Tompkins
Chemung      J            efferson     Otsego       Warren
Cortland     Lewis        Rensselaer   Washington
Fulton       Madison      Schenectady  Wayne

Dutchess and Ulster Counties were designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by hail and high winds that occurred from May 29, 2005, and June 6, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Orange, Putnam and Sullivan Counties.

Essex County was designated as a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by excessive rain, hail and flash flooding that occurred on June 9, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington Counties.

In Texas, Taylor County has been designated a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by excessive rain that occurred from Aug. 3, 2005, through Aug. 29, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Callahan, Coleman, Fisher, Jones, Nolan and Runnels Counties.

Also in Texas, the following 10 counties listed below have been designated primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from April 1, 2005, and continuing.

Bosque       Henderson    Johnson      Navarro      Van Zandt
Grayson      Houston      Leon         Tarrant      Walter

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are the following counties:

Anderson       Denton         Hill           Rains
Angelina       Ellis          Hood           Robertson
Austin         Erath          Hunt           Smith
Brazos         Fannin         Kaufman        Somervell
Cherokee       Fort Bend      Limestone      Trinity
Collin         Freestone      Madison        Walker
Cooke          Grimes         McLennan       Washington
Coryell        Hamilton       Montgomery     Wise
Dallas         Harris         Parker         Wood

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Dec. 19, 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.