Kosciusko Qualifies For Disaster Assistance
By LATAWNYA DIA
Indiana Farm Service Agency, USDA
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated eight counties in Indiana as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred during the period of May 1, 2015, and continues. Those counties include Fulton, Clark, Morgan, Owen, Rush, Shelby, White and Whitley.
Kosciusko County is one of several counties also eligible because they are contiguous with counties on this list. Kosciusko County borders Fulton County to the northeast.
Farmers in the following counties also qualify because their counties are contiguous: Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Huntington, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Monroe, Noble, Pulaski, Putnam, Scott, Starke, Tippecanoe, Wabash and Washington.
“Our hearts go out to those Indiana farmers affected by recent natural disasters,” Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, said. “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 Indiana producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.”
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Sep. 2, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, 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, 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.