January’s state of emergency caused by the California statewide drought has made several counties eligible for the United States Department of Agriculture emergency farm loans.
The loans are being made available because of physical and production losses based on damages and losses attributable to the drought.
Kings County is listed under the designation. Farmers in all 35 counties on the list have eight months to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses. They must:
- Have suffered at least 30 percent loss of normal production directly related to the drought:
- Be unable to repay the loan and any other loans:
- Be unable to obtain credit elsewhere;
- Have adequate security; and
- Have multi-peril crop insurance, if available.
All applicants must complete a certification of disaster losses, which reflects the exact date or dates and nature of the designated disaster and how it caused the loss or damage. Crop insurance field reports may be a source for documenting losses directly related to the cited cause.
The authorization for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to accept emergency loan applications under this authorization expires on Sept. 15, 2014. Applications should be filed with the area FSA Service Center at 3550 W. Orchard Court in Visalia.
