BATON ROUGE, La. - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated two Louisiana parishes as primary natural disaster areas Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said. Producers who suffered losses due to two separate disaster events may qualify for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
Producers in Vermilion Parish who suffered losses due to excessive rain and flooding that occurred between June 5 and June 15, 2019, are eligible to apply for emergency loans. Producers in the contiguous Louisiana parishes of Acadia, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, and Lafayette are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
Producers in Catahoula Parish who suffered losses due to flooding that occurred between Sept. 1, 2018, and July 17, 2019, are eligible to apply for emergency loans. Producers in the contiguous Louisiana parishes of Avoyelles, Caldwell, Concordia, Franklin, LaSalle, and Tensas are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is May 6, 2020.
FSA has a variety of additional 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.
"Our farmers and ranchers face great challenges," Strain said. "This assistance will provide much needed relief to producers."
Farmers may contact their local USDA service center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.
Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.
