USDA Designates 68 Counties in Ohio as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States
USDA Farm Service Agency sent this bulletin at 12/04/2015 01:25 PM EST12/04/2015 01:07 PM EST
DATE: 12/4/15
Latawnya Dia
202-690-7962
Latawnya.Dia@wdc.usda.gov
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users)
Contact:
Latawnya Dia
202-690-7962
Latawnya.Dia@wdc.usda.gov
USDA Designates 68 Counties in Ohio as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2015 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 68 Ohio counties as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, excessive heat, landslides, mudslides, high winds, hail and lightning that occurred during the period of March 1, 2015, through Aug. 25, 2015.
Those counties are:
Adams | Fulton | Logan | Portage |
Allen | Gallia | Lorain | Preble |
Ashtabula | Geauga | Lucas | Putnam |
Auglaize | Greene | Marion | Sandusky |
Belmont | Guernsey | Medina | Shelby |
Brown | Hamilton | Meigs | Stark |
Butler | Hancock | Mercer | Summit |
Carroll | Hardin | Monroe | Trumbull |
Clermont | Harrison | Montgomery | Tuscarawas |
Clinton | Henry | Morgan | Union |
Columbiana | Highland | Morrow | Van Wert |
Coshocton | Holmes | Muskingum | Vinton |
Crawford | Jackson | Noble | Warren |
Defiance | Knox | Ottawa | Washington |
Delaware | Lake | Paulding | Wayne |
Fairfield | Lawrence | Perry | Wood |
Fayette | Licking | Pickaway | Wyandot |
“Our hearts go out to those Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio also qualify for disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.
Those counties are:
Ashland | Darke | Jefferson | Richland |
Athens | Erie | Madison | Ross |
Champaign | Franklin | Mahoning | Scioto |
Clark | Hocking | Miami | Seneca |
Cuyahoga | Huron | Pike | Williams |
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia also qualify for disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:
Indiana
Adams | Dearborn | Franklin | Union |
Allen | DeKalb | Jay | Wayne |
Kentucky
Boone | Campbell | Lewis |
Boyd | Greenup | Mason |
Bracken | Kenton | Pendleton |
Michigan
Hillsdale | Lenawee | Monroe |
Pennsylvania
Beaver | Erie | Mercer |
Crawford | Lawrence |
West Virginia
Cabell | Marshall | Pleasants | Wetzel |
Hancock | Mason | Tyler | Wood |
Jackson | Ohio | Wayne |
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Nov. 19, 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.
Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, 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.
FSA news releases are available on FSA’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov via the “Newsroom” link.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users)