Avoyelles farmers eligible for federal natural disaster assistance

Avoyelles Parish and three of its neighbors were declared “primary natural disaster areas” due to the effects of Hurricane Barry earlier this year.

The designation by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue could qualify local farmers for federal assistance such as USDA and Farm Service Agency loans.

Avoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides and St. Landry were recently added to the list of parishes deemed disaster areas due to losses caused by Hurricane Barry between July 12 and Aug. 16.

This designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs, including replacing essential equipment and livestock, reorganizing farming operations and refinancing certain debts.

In addition to these four parishes, emergency loans are also available in all of their neighboring parishes.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

June 18, 2020, is the deadline to apply for an emergency loan. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

FSA has several other programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster.

FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; and the Tree Assistance Program.

For additional information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs, farmers may visit the online farmers.gov/recover website or contact their local USDA service center.