USDA Declares More Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Mar 26/04 - SNS -- The USDA has designated counties in Connecticut, Hawaii, Oregon and Texas as primary agricultural disaster areas.

All the counties in Connecticut are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by wet weather that occurred from May 1, 2003, through Sept. 30, 2003.

Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui counties in Hawaii are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2003, through Dec. 31, 2003. Kalawao County is named as a contiguous disaster county.

In Oregon, Wasco and Washington counties are designated as primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by ongoing drought. Also eligible because they are contiguous are the counties of Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Hood River, Marion, Multonomah, Tilamook and Yamhill.

In Texas, Hockley County is designated as a primary natural disaster area due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from June 30, 2003, and continuing. Also eligible because they are contiguous are the counties of Bailey, Cochran, Hale, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Terry and Yoakum.

Also in Texas, Fisher County is designated as a primary natural disaster area due to damages and losses caused by drought and excessive temperatures that occurred from Jan. 1, 2003, and continuing. Also eligible because they are contiguous are the counties of Jones, Kent, Mitchell, Nolan, Scurry, Stonewall and Taylor.

These counties were designated on March 22, 2004, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), 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. 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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