Crop disaster designation given to Michigan counties

USDA has designated 26 counties in Michigan as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by multiple disasters that occurred during the 2017 crop year.

Designation Number 1:  USDA has designated the following 16 counties in Michigan as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by frost and freeze that occurred during March 14 through May 20, 2017:

• Allegan, Antrim, Benzie, Berrien, Cass, Grand Traverse, Kent, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Michigan also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

• Barry, Charlevoix, Clinton, Crawford, Gratiot, Ionia, Isabella, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Lake, Mecosta, Missaukee, Osceola, Otsego, St. Joseph, Wexford

Farmers and ranchers in Elkhart, La Porte and St. Joseph counties in Indiana also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

Designation Number 2: USDA has designated the following 10 counties in Michigan as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by excessive rain that occurred during May 4 through Aug. 4, 2017:

• Antrim, Clare, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Isabella, Leelanau, Midland, Montcalm, Otsego, Saginaw

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Michigan also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

• Arenac, Bay, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Clinton, Crawford, Genesee, Gratiot, Ionia, Kalkaska, Kent, Manistee, Mecosta, Missaukee, Montmorency, Newaygo, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Wexford

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Nov. 21, 2017, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible forFSA’s emergency (EM) loans, 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.

Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; 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 at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.