In response to a request from David Drake, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) acting State Executive Director in Ohio, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties in Ohio as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by frost and freeze that occurred from May 7, 2017, through May 15, 2017.
Farmers and ranchers in Cuyahoga, Portage and Trumbull counties in Ohio also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.
Farmers and ranchers in Crawford and Erie counties in Pennsylvania also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Sept. 11, 2017, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for FSA’s emergency (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 EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree 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.
