Source: USDA, 9/9/15

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 35 counties in South Carolina as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive heat and drought that occurred from May 1, 2015, and continues. Those counties are:

Aiken, Chester, Edgefield, Laurens, Pickens, Allendale, Chesterfield, Florence, Lee, Richland, Bamberg, Clarendon, Georgetown, Lexington, Saluda, Barnwell, Colleton, Greenville, Marion, Spartanburg, Berkeley, Darlington, Horry, Marlboro, Sumter, Calhoun, Dillon, Kershaw, Newberry, Williamsburg, Cherokee, Dorchester, Lancaster, Orangeburg, York


Our hearts go out to those South Carolina farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nations economy by sustaining the successes of Americas farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. Were also telling South Carolina producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in South Carolina also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:
Abbeville Fairfield McCormick
Anderson Greenwood Oconee
Beaufort Hampton Union
Charleston


Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Georgia and North Carolina also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

Georgia
Burke Columbia Richmond Screven

North Carolina
Anson Gaston Richmond Transylvania
Brunswick Henderson Robeson Union
Cleveland Mecklenburg Rutherford
Columbus Polk Scotland


All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Sep. 9, 2015, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDAs 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.

Additional programs available to assist farmers and ranchers include the Emergency Conservation Program, The Livestock Forage Disaster Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and FarmRaised Fish Program, and the Tree 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.

FSA news releases are available on FSAs website at www.fsa.usda.gov via the Newsroom link.