USDA Designates Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Jan 18/06 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in New York, Texas and Virginia 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 New York, Livingston County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by excessive rain and flash flooding that occurred from June 8, 2005, through June 17, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Allegany, Genesee, Monroe, Ontario, Steuben and Wyoming Counties.

Frost County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by frost that occurred from May 12, 2005, through May 13, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Chenango, Cortland, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego and Otsego Counties.

In Texas, Llano and Mason Counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Aug. 25, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Kimble, McCulloch, Menard and San Saba Counties.

In Virginia, 38 counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by drought and high temperatures that occurred from June 1, 2005, and continuing. Those counties are:

Amelia         Floyd          Louisa         Pulaski
Bland          Fluvanna       Lunenburg      Scott
Brunswick      Franklin       Mecklenburg    Shenandoah
Buckingham     Frederick      Montgomery     Smyth
Campbell       Giles          Nelson         Southampton
Charlotte      Greensville    Nottoway       Tazewell
Chesterfield   Halifax        Page           Wythe
Cumberland     Isle of Wight  Pittsylvania
Dinwiddie      King and Queen Powhatan
Essex          Lee            Prince Edward

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

Albemarle      Charles City   Henrico        Orange         Spotsylvania
Amherst        Clarke         Henry          Prince George  Surry
Appomattox     Craig          James City     Rappahannock   Sussex
Augusta        Gloucester     King George    Richmond       Warren
Bedford        Goochland      King William   Roanoke        Washington
Buchanan       Grayson        Madison        Rockbridge     Westmoreland
Caroline       Greene         Middlesex      Rockingham     Wise
Carroll        Hanover        New Kent       Russell
Dinwiddie      King and Queen Powhatan
Essex          Lee            Prince Edward

The following independent cities are also designated as contiguous due to production losses for the same disaster conditions:

Colonial Heights  Franklin       Newport News   Richmond       Surry
Danville         Hopewell       Petersburg     Suffolk        Sussex
Emporia          Lynchburg      Radford        Winchester     Warren

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Dec. 27, 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.