(Oct. 2013) All counties listed below were designated natural disaster areas Oct. 1, 2013, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s 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, Federal Crop Insurance, and the Noninsured Crop Disaster 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.
Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
USDA Designates 37 Counties in New York as Primary Natural Disaster Areas With Assistance to Producers in Surrounding Areas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 37 counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas in three separate designations.
“Our hearts go out to those New York 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 nation’s economy by sustaining the successes of America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities through these difficult times. We’re also telling New York producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.”
Designation 1
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 37 counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas due to damages caused by excessive rain and related flooding, high winds and hail that began May 1, 2013 and continues.
Those counties are:
| Albany | Essex | Monroe | Otsego | Seneca |
| Broome | Franklin | Montgomery | Putnam | Sullivan |
| Cayuga | Fulton | Oneida | Rensselaer | Ulster |
| Chenango | Genesee | Ontario | Saratoga | Washington |
| Clinton | Greene | Orange | Schenectady | Wayne |
| Columbia | Herkimer | Orleans | Schoharie | Westchester |
| Cortland | Jefferson | Oswego | Schuyler | Wyoming |
| Dutchess | Madison |
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in New York also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are
| Allegany | Delaware | Livingston | St. Lawrence | Tompkins |
| Bronx | Erie | Niagara | Steuben | Warren |
| Cattaraugus | Hamilton | Onondaga | Tioga | Yates |
| Chemung | Lewis | Rockland |
Designation 2
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated three counties in New York as primary natural disaster aresa due to damages and losses caused by freeze and frost that occurred March 13 – May 28, 2013.
Those counties are:
| Cayuga | Columbia | Oswego |
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in New York also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:
| Albany | Greene | Madison | Rensselaer | Ulster |
| Cortland | Jefferson | Oneida | Seneca | Wayne |
| Dutchess | Lewis | Onondaga | Tompkins |
Designation 3
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Cayuga County in New York as a primary natural disaster area due to damages and losses caused by weather-related disease and fungi infestation that began June 19, 2013, and continues.
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in New York also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous to Cayuga County. Those counties are:
| Cortland | Oswego | Tompkins | Onondaga | Seneca |
| Wayne |
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Oct. 1, 2013, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s 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, Federal Crop Insurance, and the Noninsured Crop Disaster 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. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Secretary Vilsack also reminds producers that Congress has not funded the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill.These are SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses due to disasters occurring after Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage.