Feds offer emergency loss loans to Wyandot Co. farmers

COLUMBUS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency’s administrator on Tuesday declared emergency physical loss loans are available in 30 of Ohio’s 88 counties, including Wyandot County.
Wyandot County, along with 29 other Ohio counties, were designated as primary natural disaster areas due to high winds, hail, lightning and excessive heat events that occurred from June 29 through July 1. Other Ohio counties designated as primary natural disaster areas include Allen, Guernsey, Licking, Morgan, Tuscarawas, Belmont, Hancock, Madison, Muskingum, Union, Champaign, Harrison, Marion, Noble, Van Wert, Defiance, Jackson, Meigs, Ottawa, Vinton, Fayette, Jefferson, Mercer, Paulding, Washington, Gallia, Lawrence, Monroe and Putnam counties.
Thirty-five additional counties were named as contiguous disaster counties, where eligible farmers may qualify for FSA emergency physical loss loan assistance. They include Athens, Crawford, Hardin, Lucas, Sandusky, Auglaize, Darke, Henry, Miami, Scioto, Carroll, Delaware, Highland, Morrow, Seneca, Clark, Erie, Hocking, Perry, Shelby, Clinton, Fairfield, Holmes, Pickaway, Stark, Columbiana, Franklin, Knox, Pike, Williams, Coshocton, Greene, Logan, Ross and Wood counties.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Aug. 24, making FSA Emergency Physical Loss loans available to eligible applicants with qualifying severe physical losses in the primary and contiguous counties, provided eligibility requirements are met. This approval is limited to applicants who suffered disaster-related damages to chattels or real estate essential to the farming operation.
To qualify, farmers must be unable to obtain credit from commercial sources. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part or all 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.
The USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
Interested farmers should contact their local FSA county office for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Wyandot County’s FSA office may be reached at 419-294-2127.

Posted by Daily Chief on September 6, 2012. Filed under Local News,State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry