Chambliss applauds drought disaster declaration; how to apply for emergency loans

 

Media release: Today, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., applauded Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack's decision to declare 150 drought-stricken counties in Georgia disaster areas, as requested by Gov. Nathan Deal. Since April 2011, many parts of Georgia have experienced extreme weather conditions and suffered numerous crop losses. With the USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation, Georgia farmers will be able to apply for emergency loans and other benefits to ease losses.

"This is good news for farmers in our state," said Sen. Chambliss, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Our producers battle severe weather conditions year after year, and this designation will help ensure that they can recover from the severe drought conditions. The disaster designation is the first step in that recovery process, and I appreciate Gov. Deal's hard work on this issue."

Producers in the designated counties are now eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. Farmers have eight months to apply for emergency loan assistance. FSA will consider each application on its own merit by taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. 

 

Sen. Chambliss encourages producers to check with their local FSA offices regarding eligibility for SURE and other disaster assistance programs. Additional information can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov  or www.fema.gov.

Eligible counties are:

Appling	Coffee	Gordon	McDuffie	Sumter
Atkinson	Colquitt	Grady	McIntosh	Taliaferro
Bacon	Columbia	Gwinnett	Meriwether	Tattnall
Baker	Cook	Habersham	Miller	Taylor
Banks	Coweta	Hall .	Mitchell	Telfair
Barrow	Crawford	Hancock	Monroe	Terrell
Bartow	Crisp	Haralson	Montgomery	Thomas
Ben Hill	Dade	Harris	Morgan	Tift
Berrien	Dawson	Hart	Murray	Toombs
Bibb	De Kalb	Heard	Oconee	Towns
Bleckley	Decatur	Henry	Oglethorpe	Treutlen
Brantley	Dodge	Houston	Paulding	Troup
Brooks	Dooly	Irwin	Peach	Turner
Bryan	Dougherty	Jackson	Pickens	Twiggs
Bulloch	Douglas	Jeff Davis	Pierce	Union
Burke	Early	Jefferson	Pike	Upson
Butts	Echols	Jenkins	Polk	Walker
Calhoun	Effingham	Johnson	Pulaski	Walton
Camden	Elbert	Lamar	Putnam	Ware
Candler	Emanuel	Lanier	Quitman	Warren
Carroll	Evans	Laurens	Rabun	Washington
Catoosa	Fannin	Lee	Randolph	Wayne
Charlton	Fayette	Liberty	Richmond	Webster
Chatham	Floyd	Lincoln	Rockdale	Wheeler
Chattooga	Forsyth	Long	Schley	White
Cherokee	Franklin	Lowndes	Screven	Whitfield
Clarke	Fulton	Lumpkin	Seminole	Wilcox
Clay	Gilmer	Macon	Spalding	Wilkes
Clinch	Glascock	Madison	Stephens	Wilkinson
Cobb	Glynn	Marion	Stewart	Worth