On March 25, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 17 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas, including Whitfield and Murray. The secretarial natural disaster designation allows the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.
“Our agency stands committed to providing support to our agricultural producers who are recovering from natural disasters,” said Arthur Tripp, state executive director for FSA in Georgia. “Drought conditions can be devastating for many agricultural operations. Through these designations, Georgia’s farmers and ranchers will have access to the emergency credit that is critical to their recovery from severe drought conditions.”
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the primary counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for more than eight or more consecutive weeks, 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or 3) D3 Drought-Exceptional. Producers in an additional nine contiguous Georgia counties are also eligible for disaster relief coverage. Producers in the following eligible counties will have until Nov. 25 to apply for FSA emergency assistance.
Primary counties eligible
Bartow, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union, White, Whitfield.
Contiguous counties also eligible
Banks, Catoosa, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton, Hall, Paulding, Polk, Stephens, Walker, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Lincoln, Dade, Carroll, Haralson.
FSA emergency loans allow producers to borrow up to 100% of actual production or physical losses, up to a maximum amount of $500,000. These loans assist producers in meeting their various recovery needs, including the payment of essential family living expenses, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, considering the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
For more information about FSA’s full suite of disaster recovery options, producers can visit farmers.gov, where the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool can help them determine program or loan options. Producers can also contact their local USDA Service Center to file a Notice of Loss and learn more about programs fitting their operational needs.