USDA Designates 87 Counties in Illinois as Primary Natural Disaster Areas With Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States

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Kent Politsch, 202-720-7163

 

USDA Designates 87 Counties in Illinois as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

With Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States

 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2015 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 87 counties in Illinois as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred during the period of June 1, 2015, and continues. Those counties are:

 

Adams	Fulton	Logan	Randolph
Alexander	Gallatin	McDonough	Richland
Bond	Greene	McLean	Rock Island
Brown	Grundy	Macon	St. Clair
Calhoun	Hamilton	Macoupin	Saline
Carroll	Hancock	Madison	Sangamon
Cass	Hardin	Marion	Schuyler
Champaign	Henderson	Marshall	Scott
Clark	Henry	Mason	Stark
Clay	Iroquois	Massac	Tazewell
Clinton	Jackson	Menard	Union
Crawford	Jasper	Mercer	Vermilion
Cumberland	Jefferson	Monroe	Wabash
DeKalb	Jersey	Montgomery	Warren
DeWitt	Johnson	Morgan	Washington
Douglas	Kane	Peoria	Wayne
DuPage	Kankakee	Perry	White
Edwards	Knox	Piatt	Whiteside
Effingham	La Salle	Pike	Will
Fayette	Lawrence	Pope	Williamson
Ford	Lee	Pulaski	Woodford
Franklin	Livingston	Putnam

 

“Our hearts go out to those Illinois farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation’s economy by sustaining the successes of America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We’re also telling Illinois producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.”

 

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Illinois also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

 

Boone	Cook	McHenry	Shelby
Bureau	Edgar	Moultrie	Stephenson
Christian	Jo Daviess	Ogle	Winnebago
Coles	Kendall

 

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

 

Indiana

Benton	Knox	Newton	Sullivan	Vigo
Gibson	Lake	Posey	Vermillion	Warren

 

Iowa

Clinton	Jackson	Louisa	Scott
Des Moines	Lee	Muscatine

 

Kentucky

Ballard, Crittenden, Livingston, McCracken and Union

 

Missouri

Cape Girardeau	Marion	Saint Charles
Clark	Mississippi	Sainte Genevieve
Jefferson	Perry	Saint. Louis
Lewis	Pike	Saint. Louis City
Lincoln	Ralls	Scott

 

All counties and city listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Aug. 12, 2015, making all qualified farm 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 recover from adversity.

 

Additional programs available to assist farmers and ranchers include the Emergency Conservation Program, The Livestock Forage Disaster Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, and the Tree 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.

 

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