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GDA: Disaster Assistance Available for Farmers Affected by Hurricane Michael From Georgia Cotton Commission post

Effective today, farmers with damage from Hurricane Michael may be eligible for disaster assistance from funds allocated during the special legislative session convened by Governor Nathan Deal on November 13, 2018. The Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriation Act was amended to provide emergency funding for state agencies and local governments in areas most heavily impacted by Hurricane Michael. Funds include $55 million for emergency disaster relief loans.

In keeping with its rural rehabilitation roots, the Georgia Development Authority will administer the special $55 million loan program for the purpose of providing timely relief to Georgia Farmers through the SAFETY 21 Loan Program. Funds will be loaned in order to bridge the gap until other disaster program and insurance funds become available. To be eligible for assistance, the applicant must be a farmer suffering a loss to their income as a result of Hurricane Michael. Loans will have a 7-year term with a graduated rate starting at 1 percent. For more information, visit www.gdaonline.com or www.agr.georgia.gov.
As a result of Hurricane Michael, Southwest Georgia experienced approximately $2.5 billion in losses within the agriculture and timber industries. More information about projected losses from Hurricane Michael is available at https://agr.georgia.gov/gda-hurricane-response.aspx

USDA Designates 76 Georgia Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2018 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 76 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to Hurricane Michael that occurred Oct. 9 through Oct. 11, 2018, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
The counties in the primary damaged area are Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill Berrien, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Candler, Charlton, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Grady, Hancock, Houston, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Long, Lowndes, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Peach, Pierce, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Screven, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Ware, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson and Worth in Georgia.

This designation by Secretary Perdue allows 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.

Producers in the contiguous Georgia counties of Baldwin, Bryan, Camden, Chattahoochee, Effingham, Glynn, Greene, Jones, Liberty, McDuffie, McIntosh, Marion, Monroe, Putnam, Richmond, Talbot, Taliaferro, Upson and Warren, along with Barbour, Henry, Houston and Russell counties in Alabama; Baker, Columbia, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Madison and Nassau counties in Florida and Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell and Hampton counties in South Carolina, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is Aug. 12, 2019.
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 https://www.farmers.gov/recover.

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