USDA designates state ag disaster areas

USDA information

COLUMBUS — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Steven Maurer announced that 29 Ohio counties, including Van Wert County, have been designated as primary natural disaster areas, due to physical damage and losses caused by excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, high winds, hail, and lightning and are eligible for emergency loans.

Counties designated as primary natural disaster areas for physical damage and losses that occurred from April 1 through August 12 include, in addition to Van Wert County, Adams, Allen, Auglaize, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Defiance, Fulton, Gallia, Harrison, Henry, Holmes, Jackson, Knox, Lawrence, Meigs, Morrow, Paulding, Pickaway, Putnam, Shelby, Stark, Tuscarawas, Wood and Wyandot.

In addition to the 29 counties designated as primary disaster areas, 40 additional Ohio counties were designated as contiguous disaster areas.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on September 18, making FSA emergency physical loss loans available to eligible applicants with qualifying severe physical losses, provided eligibility requirements are met. This approval is limited to applicants who suffered disaster related damages to chattel or real estate essential to the farming operation. To qualify, farmers must be unable to obtain credit from commercial sources.

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part or all of their actual losses.  FSA will consider each loan application on its own merit, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. Additional programs available to assist farmers include the Emergency Conservation Program, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, and the Tree Assistance Program.

Interested farmers should contact their local FSA office for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other FSA programs.