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<br />USDA United States Farm
<br />Department of Service
<br />Agriculture Agency
<br />News Release No. 31
<br />July 23, 2002
<br />North Carolina State FSA Office
<br />4407 Bland Road, Suite 175
<br />Raleigh, North Carolina 27609 -6296
<br />VENEMAN DESIGNATES 73 NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES AS DISASTER AREAS
<br />Decision Allows Farmers and Ranchers to Receive Emergency Farm Loans
<br />WASHINGTON, July 23, 2002 -- In continuing efforts to expedite emergency disaster
<br />declarations in areas hit hard by adverse weather conditions, Agriculture Secretary Ann M.
<br />Veneman today designated 73 counties in North Carolina as agricultural disaster areas. This
<br />designation makes farmers and ranchers with losses immediately eligible for USDA emergency
<br />(EM) farm loans.
<br />"This assistance will provide much needed relief for North Carolina farmers who have
<br />suffered from losses due to these natural disasters," said Veneman.
<br />Fifty -eight counties were named as primary disaster areas due to abnormally low temperatures
<br />and drought. These counties are Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe,
<br />Avery, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland, Cumberland,
<br />Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett,
<br />Hoke, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore,
<br />Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan,
<br />Rutherford, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union,Vance, Wake, Warren, Watauga, Wayne,
<br />Wilkes, Wilson, Yadkin and Yancey.
<br />Also eligible for assistance because they are contiguous are Bertie, Bladen, Buncombe,
<br />Columbus, Duplin, Edgecombe, Greene, Henderson, Hertford, Lenoir, Madison, Martin, Pitt,
<br />Polk and Sampson counties,
<br />This designation makes all qualified farm operators in primary and contiguous disaster
<br />counties eligible for low - interest EM loans from the Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility
<br />requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the
<br />declaration, July 23, to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will
<br />consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security
<br />available and repayment ability.
<br />Other programs are available to assist farmers and ranchers in states and areas declare disaster
<br />areas including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the
<br />Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. On July 11, Veneman approved 18 states, which
<br />included North Carolina, for Conservation Reserve Program emergency haying and grazing and
<br />waived rental reduction fees to encourage donation of hay to farmers and ranchers in immediate
<br />need.
<br />FSA has a variety of programs available in addition to the emergency loan program to help eligible
<br />farmers recover from adversity. Interested farmers may contact their local FSA offices for further
<br />information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is also
<br />available online at: http : / /www. fsa . usda . gov/pas /disaster/ as si stancel . htm
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<br />AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
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