Monday, 1 August 2011

USDA Designates 27 Counties in Florida as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

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USDA Designates 27 Counties in Florida as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
08/01/2011 03:45 PM EDT

Farm Service Agency
Public Affairs Staff
1400 Independence Ave SW
Stop 0506, Room 3624-South
Washington, D.C. 20250-0506

Release No. 0091.11



USDA Designates 27 Counties in Florida as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 27 counties in Florida as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused drought and excessive heat that began Jan. 1, 2011, and continues.

“Florida producers can count on USDA to provide emergency assistance during these difficult times,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I are committed to reducing the impact of this disaster for Florida producers and we will commit all available resources to help in recovery.”

Those counties are:

BayHolmesOrange
BrevardJacksonOsceola
CalhounJeffersonPalm Beach
CharlotteLakePolk
EscambiaLeeSanta Rosa
GadsdenLeonSuwannee
GulfLibertyWakulla
HamiltonMadisonWalton
HillsboroughOkaloosaWashington


Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Florida also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

BrowardHendryPasco
CollierHighlandsPinellas
ColumbiaIndian RiverSarasota
De SotoLafayetteSeminole
FranklinManateeSumter
GilchristMarionTaylor
GladesMartinVolusia
HardeeOkeechobee

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Alabama and Georgia also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

Alabama

BaldwinCovingtonEscambiaGenevaHouston

Georgia

BrooksEcholsLowndesThomas
DecaturGradySeminole

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas July 29, 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.

FSA news releases are available on FSA’s website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov via the “News and Events” link.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).


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