Agricultural News
Bryan County designated as a Primary Natural Disaster Area- 19 Additional Oklahoma Counties Qualify
Thu, 24 Apr 2014 10:19:50 CDT
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Bryan County in Oklahoma as a primary natural disaster area due to the recent drought.
"Our hearts go out to those Oklahoma 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 nation's economy by sustaining the successes of America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We're also telling Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:
Atoka
Choctaw
Johnston
Marshall
Farmers and ranchers in the following contiguous counties in Texas also qualify for natural disaster assistance:
Fannin
Grayson
Lamar
In addition, the USDA's Farm Service Agency announced on Thursday morning that a total of 240 Texas Counties have been declared primary disaster areas. Most of the Oklahoma counties that border Texas also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties include:
Beaver
Cimarron
Jackson
Marshall
Beckham
Cotton
Jefferson
Roger Mills
Bryan
Ellis
Love
Texas
Choctaw
Harmon
McCurtain
Tillman
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on April 23, 2014, 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.
For a complete list of designated disaster counties in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico click here.
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