WASHINGTON, April 23, 2014 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 240 counties in Texas as primary natural disaster areas due to the recent drought. Those counties are: Anderson Dimmit Jones Randall Andrews Donley Karnes Reagan Aransas Duval Kaufman Real Archer Eastland Kendall Red River Armstrong Ector Kenedy Reeves Atascosa Edwards Kent Refugio Austin Ellis Kerr Roberts Bailey El Paso Kimble Robertson Bandera Erath King Rockwall Bastrop Falls Kinney Runnels Baylor Fannin Kleberg Rusk Bee Fayette Knox San Jacinto Bell Fisher Lamar San Patricio Bexar Floyd Lamb San Saba Blanco Foard Lampasas Schleicher Borden Fort Bend La Salle Scurry Bosque Franklin Lavaca Shackelford Bowie Freestone Lee Sherman Brazoria Frio Leon Smith Brazos Gaines Liberty Somervell Briscoe Galveston Limestone Starr Brooks Garza Lipscomb Stephens Brown Gillespie Live Oak Sterling Burleson Glasscock Llano Stonewall Burnet Goliad Lubbock Sutton Caldwell Gonzales Lynn Swisher Calhoun Gray McCulloch Tarrant Callahan Grayson McLennan Taylor Cameron Gregg McMullen Terrell Camp Grimes Madison Terry Carson Guadalupe Marion Throckmorton Cass Hale Martin Titus Castro Hall Mason Tom Green Cherokee Hamilton Matagorda Travis Childress Hansford Maverick Trinity Clay Hardeman Medina Upshur Cochran Harris Menard Upton Coke Harrison Midland Uvalde Coleman Hartley Milam Val Verde Collin Haskell Mills Van Zandt Collingsworth Hays Mitchell Victoria Colorado Hemphill Montague Walker Comal Henderson Montgomery Waller Comanche Hidalgo Moore Ward Concho Hill Morris Washington Cooke Hockley Motley Webb Coryell Hood Navarro Wharton Cottle Hopkins Nolan Wheeler Crane Houston Nueces Wichita Crockett Howard Ochiltree Wilbarger Crosby Hudspeth Oldham Willacy Culberson Hunt Palo Pinto Williamson Dallam Hutchinson Panola Wilson Dallas Irion Parker Winkler Dawson Jack Parmer Wise Deaf Smith Jackson Pecos Wood Delta Jeff Davis Polk Yoakum Denton Jim Hogg Potter Young DeWitt Jim Wells Presidio Zapata Dickens Johnson Rains Zavala Our hearts go out to those Texas 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 Texas 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 contiguous counties in Texas also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are: Angelina Hardin Nacogdoches Brewster Jefferson Shelby Chambers Loving Tyler Farmers and ranchers in the following contiguous counties in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are: Arkansas Little River and Miller Louisiana Caddo and De Soto New Mexico Curry Eddy Otero Roosevelt Dona Ana Lea Quay Union Oklahoma 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 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 (LFP), the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). 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 disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 11:26:20 +0000