Sept 12 – Fed Ag Officials Declare Eight Coastal Counties Drought Disaster Areas

Written by Lou Phelps Monday, 12 September 2011 08:14

SBJ Staff Report

Sept 12, 2011 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s agreed last Thursday to declare 150 drought-stricken counties in Georgia disaster areas, as requested by Gov. Nathan Deal. Seven counties in the Coastal Georgia area were included including Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Bulloch, Liberty, McIntosh, Camden and Glynn.

Since April 2011, many parts of Georgia have experienced extreme weather conditions and suffered numerous crop losses. With the USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation, Georgia farmers will be able to apply for emergency loans and other benefits to ease losses.

“This is good news for farmers in our state,” said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Our producers battle severe weather conditions year after year, and this designation will help ensure that they can recover from the severe drought conditions. The disaster designation is the first step in that recovery process, and I appreciate Gov. Deal’s hard work on this issue.”

”Producers in the designated counties are now eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. Farmers have eight months to apply for emergency loan assistance. FSA will consider each application on its own merit by taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Sen. Chambliss encourages producers to check with their local FSA offices regarding eligibility for SURE and other disaster assistance programs. Additional information can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov or www.fema.gov.