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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 12/13/11
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated five counties in Virginia as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by two separate disaster conditions.
Greensville and Lunenburg counties were designated primary natural disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Irene that occurred from Aug. 27-28, 2011.
“Assistance at this point and time is critically important for Virginia producers, especially in helping them keep their farmland healthy for the remainder of the year,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I are committed to using the resources at our disposal to reduce the impact of these disasters on Virginia producers and help to get those affected back on their feet.”
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties and independent cities in Virginia also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties and cities are:
Counties
Brunswick Dinwiddie Nottoway Southampton
Charlotte Mecklenburg Prince Edward Sussex
Independent cities:
Emporia
Farmers and ranchers in Northampton County in North Carolina also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their county is contiguous.
Cumberland, Pittsylvania and Powhatan counties in Virginia were designated primary natural disaster areas as a result of drought and excessive heat that occurred from May 25, 2011, through Aug. 27, 2011.
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties and independent cities in Virginia also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties and cities are:
Counties:
Amelia Campbell Franklin Henrico
Bedford Chesterfield Goochland Henry
Buckingham Fluvanna Halifax Prince Edward
Independent cities:
Danville
Farmers and ranchers in Caswell and Rockingham counties in North Carolina also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Dec. 13, 2011, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s 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 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, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Secretary Vilsack also reminds producers that the department’s authority to operate the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30, 2011. This includes SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses in the counties listed above are covered because the event triggering the loss occurred prior to the expiration of these programs; however, production losses due to disasters occurring after Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage.
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