Several counties eligible for assistance for the 2015 crop year
(Sept. 2015) U.S. Representative Richard Hanna recently announced that several counties in 22nd Congressional District have been designated natural disasters due to two different weather events.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has determined the following counties in the 22nd Congressional District suffered sufficient production losses due to excessive rain, high winds, hail, lightning, and a tornado that occurred from May 1 through July 14, 2015 and warrant a Secretarial disaster designation:
Primary counties: Broome, Cortland, Oswego
Contiguous counties: Chenango, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Tioga
- USDA has determined the following counties in the 22nd Congressional District suffered sufficient production losses due to frost, freeze, and excessive snow that occurred from January 1 through May 24, 2015 and warrant a Secretarial disaster designation:
Primary counties: Oswego
Contiguous counties: Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida
A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for assistance from the FSA provided eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. FSA will consider each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses, security available and repayment ability.
“I am pleased that our farmers will now be able to apply for assistance if they need it,” Rep. Hanna said. “You can’t know when a natural disaster will strike and unfortunately one bad storm can wipe out an entire crop season. USDA disaster programs can help our agriculture industry recover, and I encourage impacted farmers in these counties to contact their local FSA office.”
To find your FSA office, click here.