For full story: http://www.usda.gov/2005/10/0442.xml Release No. 0442.05 Kristin Scuderi (202) 720-4623 Stevin Westcott (202) 720-4178 USDA DESIGNATES THE ENTIRE STATE OF ARKANSAS A DISASTER AREA Decision Allows Farmers and Ranchers to Apply for USDA Assistance LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Oct. 14, 2005 - Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner today announced that USDA designated all 75 counties in Arkansas as primary natural disaster areas due to drought and extremely high temperatures that have continued since May 1, 2005. "The lack of precipitation and heat has devastated farmers, ranchers and others in Arkansas," said Conner. "These funds offer many producers the helping hand to keep their businesses operational." These counties were designated on Oct. 13, 2005, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from the 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 the 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 available, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. USDA has also made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster 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 USDA News oc.news@xxxxxxxx 202 720-4623 ---------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to webservices@xxxxxxxx and reference your email address.
