USDA Desiganytes Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Mar 2/06 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in 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).

Bee, DeWitt, Hood and Somervell were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from June 1, 2005, and continuing.

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

Bosque       Gonzales     Lavaca       Parker       Victoria
Erath        Johnson      Live Oak     Refugio      Wilson
Goliad       Karnes       Palo Pinto   San Patricio

The following eight counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from April 1, 2005, and continuing:

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Brazos Freestone LaSalle Stephens Webb

Dimmit Guadalupe Madison Zavala Wilson

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

Anderson     Eastland     Kinney       Palo Pinto   Webb
Atascosa     Frio         Leon         Robertson    Wilson
Bexar        Gonzales     Limestone    Shackelford  Young
Burleson     grimes       Maverick     Throckmorton
Caldwell     Hays         McMullen     Uvalde
Comal        Henderson    Medina       Walker
Duval        Houston      Navarro      Washington

Edwards and Hamilton Counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Sept. 1, 2005, and continuing.

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

Bosque       Erath        Kinney       Real         Val Verde
Comanche     Kerr         Lampasas     Sutton
Coryell      Kimble       Mills        Uvalde

Hall County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by excessive rain, hail and high winds that occurred on Oct. 10, 2005. Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Briscoe, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Donley and Motley Counties.

Hardeman County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Childress, Cottle, Foard and Wilbarger Counties.

Medina County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred from Apr. 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Frio, Uvalde and Zavala Counties.

Montague County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Aug. 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Clay, Cooke, Jack and Wise Counties.

Runnels County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought and excessive temperatures that occurred from May 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Coke, Coleman, Concho, Nolan, Taylor and Tom Green Counties.

Williamson County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Apr. 15, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Bastrop, Bell, Burnet, Lee, Milam and Travis Counties.

Zapata County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred from Jan. 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Jim Hogg, Starr and Webb Counties.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Jan 17, 2006.

Haskell County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by excessive rain, hail and high winds that occurred on Sept. 30, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Baylor, Jones, King, Knox, Shackelford, Stonewall and Throckmorton counties.

Karnes County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought and abnormal high temperatures that occurred on July 25, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Atascosa, Bee, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Live Oak and Wilson Counties.

Starr County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat 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 Brooks, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg and Zapata Counties.

Kinney County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred on March 15, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Edwards, Maverick, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala Counties.

Gonzales County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred on July 1, 2005, through Nov. 20, 2005.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Bastrop, Caldwell, DeWitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lavaca and Wilson Counties.

Blanco County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred on May 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Burnet, Comal, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Llano and Travis Counties.

Anderson and Dallas Counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from March 1, 2005, and continuing.

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

Cherokee     Ellis        Houston      Navarro
Collin       Freestone    Kaufman      Rockwall
Denton       Henderson    Leon         Tarrant

Live Oak County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred on July 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Atascosa, Bee, Duval, Jim Wells, Karnes, McMullen and San Patricio Counties.

Limestone County was designated as a primary disaster area due to losses caused by drought that occurred on April 1, 2005, and continuing.

Also eligible because they are contiguous and have sustained production losses due to the same disaster conditions are Falls, Freestone, Hill, Leon, McLennan, Navarro and Robertson Counties.

Eligible producers participating in the Conservation Reserve Program in the counties listed above may be authorized emergency haying and grazing acreage, provided eligibility requirements are met.