MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The Department of Agriculture has declared three Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the recent drought, making farmers in those counties eligible for federal relief.
Dallas, Perry and Wilcox counties were named the primary counties in the disaster designation by USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack, state Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate said Monday.
"The drought hit famers in this part of the state during the peak of growing season. We hope this disaster relief from USDA will ease some of the financial burdens," Pate said. "We encourage farmers to reach out to their local USDA offices for details about available funding."
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, multiple Alabama counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks, D3 Drought-Extreme, or D4 Drought-Exceptional.
Nine additional counties were listed as contiguous disaster counties: Autauga, Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Clark, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo and Monroe.
The Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries says other counties in the state may have already been designated as natural disaster counties if they had previously met the requirements found under 7 CFR 759.5(a) for the current crop year.
A secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in the primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance if they meet the eligibility requirements.
Officials say farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of a secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. The FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.
Farmers interested in learning about program options or wanting to verify eligibility should visit the Farm Service Agency's website.