September 14, 2011
www.gfb.org
Vol. 29 No. 37
VILSACK ISSUES DISASTER DECLARATION FOR 150 GEORGIA COUNTIES For the second time in 2011, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has issued a drought-related disaster declaration for Georgia counties. On Sept. 7 Vilsack designated 150 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas due to ongoing drought and excessive heat conditions that have damaged thousands of acres of crops. In June he issued a disaster designation for 22 counties and an additional 26 counties were declared contiguous disaster areas due to drought and heat conditions. In addition to the 150 counties designated as primary disaster areas, the other nine counties were designated as contiguous disaster areas. Border counties in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee also received contiguous disaster county designation. “Many producers have lost their crops and ultimately their livelihood due to the devastation caused by the drought,” Vilsack said. “President Obama and I want these farmers and ranchers to know that we are here for them and we will support them through the recovery process and help them once again become productive suppliers of food, fiber and fuel that keep America prospering. This designation will provide that support.” The drought, which has persisted throughout the state since April, has caused crop losses and contributed to increases in feed prices for animal producers statewide. Some level of drought was still present in 148 counties as of Sept. 6, and the majority of the state’s counties were still under extreme drought conditions. Gov. Nathan Deal sent Vilsack a letter in August requesting disaster designation for 157 of the state’s 159 counties and members of Georgia’s congressional delegation wrote letters urging Vilsack to honor Deal’s request, which came after a second round of loss assessment reports by the Farm Service Agency. Qualified farmers in the counties designated as primary or contiguous disaster areas are eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the FSA and to sign up for other United States Department of Agriculture programs that provide assistance to farmers suffering agricultural losses due to natural disasters. These include the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE) approved under the 2008 farm bill. To qualify, a county must have a 30 percent loss in at least one crop due to a natural disaster. Farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to cover part of their actual losses. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers or visit http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov. for information on eligibility requirements and application procedures.