USDA Declares Ag Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON - Mar 18/04 - SNS -- Several counties in California, Massachusetts, New York and Washington were designated as primary agricultural disaster areas by the USDA.

In California, the following counties are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by cool weather followed by an extended period of hot weather:

January 2, 2003, through Sept. 30, 2003

Fresno

April 1, 2003, through Aug. 31, 2003

Kern, Merced and Tulare

Also eligible because they are contiguous are the following counties:

January 2, 2003, through Sept. 30, 2003

Inyo, Kings, Madera, Merced, Mono, Monterey, San Benito and Tulare

April 1, 2003, through Aug. 31, 2003

Los Angeles, Mariposa, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Ventura

Sutter and Yuba Counties in California are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by unseasonable rainfall from Aug. 22, 2003, through Sept. 15, 2003. Also designated as contiguous areas for the same disaster are Butte, Colusa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra and Yolo Counties.

In Massachusetts, the following counties are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by wet weather conditions:

May 1, 2003, through Sept. 30, 2003

Berkshire, Bristol, Franklin and Norfolk

June 1, 2004, through Sept. 30, 2003

Plymouth

May 1, 2003, through Oct. 31, 2003

Hampden and Hampshire

Also eligible because they are contiguous are the following counties:

May 1, 2003, through Sept. 30, 2003

Barnstable, Middlesex and Suffolk

May 1, 2003, through Oct. 31, 2003

Berkshire, Franklin and Worchester

Due to hail that occurred on Sept. 23, 2003, Wayne County is designated as a primary disaster area. Also eligible for assistance are the contiguous counties of Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario and Seneca.

The following 11 counties are designated as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses for the following reasons:

Excessive rain from April 1, 2003, through June 1, 2003

Albany

Excessive Rain from May 15, 2003, and continuing

Cattaraugus

Excessive rain and below normal temperatures from May 1, 2003, and continuing

Chautauqua

Excessive rain and cold temperatures from May 1, 2003, through June 10, 2003

Erie

Excessive rain and low temperatures from April 15, 2003, through June 20, 2003

Livingston

Excessive rain on April 15, 2003, and continuing

Oneida

Heavy hail and high winds on July 25, 2003, and excessive rain on April 15, 2003

Orleans

Excessive rain and flash flooding on Aug. 10, 2003

Saratoga

Excessive rain and flash flooding from Aug. 4, 2003, and continuing

Seneca

Excessive rain on April 15, 2003, and continuing

Sullivan

Excessive rain and high winds on July 21, 2003, and continuing

Tompkins The following counties are declared as contiguous disaster areas:

Excessive rain from April 1, 2003, through June 1, 2003

Saratoga, Schenectady and Schoharie

Excessive rain and below normal temperatures from May 1, 2003, and continuing

Cattaraugus and Erie

Excessive rain and below normal temperatures from May 1, 2003, through June 10, 2003

Niagara and Wyoming

Excessive rain and low temperatures from April 15, 2003, through June 10, 2003

Allegany, Genesee, Monroe, Ontario, Steuben and Wyoming

Heavy hail and high winds on July 25, 2003, and excessive rain on April 15, 2003

Genesee, Monroe and Niagara

Excessive rain and flash flooding on Aug. 10, 2003, and continuing

Warren

Excessive rain and flash flooding on Aug. 4, 2003, and continuing

Cayuga

Excessive rain and high winds on July 21, 2003, and continuing

Cayuga, Cortland and Seneca

The following Washington counties are designated as primary disaster areas due damages and loses caused by:

Drought and excessive heat that occurred from May 1 through Aug. 31, 2003

Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Wahkiakum

Drought that occurred from May 1 through Sept. 6, 2003

Island, San Juan and Skagit

The following counties are designated as contiguous disaster areas:

Drought and excessive heat that occurred from May 1 through Aug. 31, 2003

Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific and Yakima

Drought that occurred from May 1 through Sept. 6, 2003

Chelan, Okanogan, Snohomish and Whatcom

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. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs available, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

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