Lincoln County and five other counties have been designated as the primary disaster area for damage from excessive rain and flash flooding April 10 through July 12, 2021.

USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack made the designation this week, saying producers in the following counties may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans — Lincoln, Lawrence, Franklin, Jefferson Davis, Adams and Wilkinson.

Farmers qualifying for emergency loans may borrow up to 100% of their actual production loss or the amount needed to restore their operation to its pre-disaster condition, whichever is less, or refinance certain debts. FSA will review loan applications based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Producers in the following contiguous counties may also apply — Amite, Copiah, Walthall, Jefferson, Pike, Covington, Lamar, Marion and Simpson.

Deadline to apply is May 13, 2022.

 

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 https://www.farmers.gov/recover.