USDA designates two parishes as primary natural disaster areas

(KMVT)
Published: Jan. 18, 2018 at 4:29 PM CST
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Avoyelles and Catahoula parishes in Louisiana as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by flooding from Hurricane Harvey that occurred from Aug. 26 through Oct. 10, 2017.

Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous Louisiana parishes also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those parishes are:

Caldwell, Franklin, Rapides, Concordia, LaSalle, St. Landry, Evangeline, Pointe Coupee and Tensas

Qualified farm operators in the designated areas are eligible for FSA’s emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible parishes have eight months from the date of the declaration of Jan. 2, 2018, 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 the impacts of the hurricane.

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. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.