WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 17 New York counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in who suffered losses caused by recent natural disasters may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
These natural disaster designations allow FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.
Freeze and Frost – April – June 2020
Producers in Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Cortland, Niagara, Ontario, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins and Wayne counties who suffered losses caused by freeze and frost that occurred April 1 through June 1, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous counties listed below are also eligible to apply for emergency loans:
- New York: Allegany, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, Orleans, Steuben, Tioga, Wyoming and Yates
- Pennsylvania: McKean, Susquehanna, Warren and Wayne
Freeze
Producers in Jefferson, Onondaga, Orleans, Steuben and Yates counties who suffered losses caused by freeze that occurred April 15 through June 1, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous counties listed below are also eligible to apply for emergency loans:
- New York: Allegany, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Genesee, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Schuyler and Seneca
- Pennsylvania: Potter and Tioga
Frost
Producers in Erie County who suffered losses due to frost that occurred May 8 through May 9, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.
Producers in the contiguous New York counties of Cattaraugus, Genesee, Niagara and Wyoming are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for emergency loans under this designation is Sept. 15, 2021.
FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
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.
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.
–USDA FSA
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