Now the second Natural Disaster of 2010 - USDA Designates Two Counties in Wyoming as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Reading - Now the second Natural Disaster of 2010 - USDA Designates Two Counties in Wyoming as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

USDA Designates Two Counties in Wyoming as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2009 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Big Horn and Park Counties in Wyoming as primary natural disaster areas due to a severe freeze that occurred during the period of Oct. 6 through Oct. 13, 2009.

"President Obama and I understand these conditions have caused severe damage to the area and serious harm to farms in Wyoming and we want to help," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This action will provide help to hundreds of farmers and ranchers who suffered production losses to sugar beets, alfalfa, beans, corn and wheat."

Farmers in the following counties in Wyoming also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous: Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Sheridan, Teton and Washakie Counties.

Farm operators in the counties listed below in the adjacent state of Montana also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous: Big Horn, Carbon, Gallatin and Park.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Jan. 4, 2010, making all qualified farm and ranch 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 and ranchers recover from adversity.

USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested producers 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 athttp://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.