Farmers and Ranchers Can Apply for USDA Assistance Due to Severe Storms and Flooding

[Saluda], October 21 2015 – Saluda and Edgefield Counties are eligible for USDA assistance as a result of a Presidential Disaster Designation declared for 19 primary and 17 contiguous counties in the State of South Carolina announced by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). The disaster designation is a result of losses caused by severe storms and flooding that occurred from October 1, 2015, and continuing. The decision makes all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

The disaster was designated on October 5, 2015, and subsequent amendments to this declaration were issued October 6, 7, and 9, 2015. All qualified farm operators in the designated counties are eligible for EM loans, 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 emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

USDA has also made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the 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 and media advisories are available on FSA’s Web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/.