USDA Designates 16 Ohio Counties Agricultural Disaster Areas

Nurseries and sod farms in affected counties may be eligible for federal disaster relief after recent storms damaged crops.

Published April 07, 2005

Fla

 

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state executive director for Ohio’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Larry Adams, has just announced that 16 Ohio counties have been designated as primary disaster areas as a result of recent extreme weather conditions in the region. Crop losses were caused by freezing rain, ice, excessive rain, excessive snow, high winds, flash flooding, and flooding that occurred from Dec. 23, 2004, through Jan. 23, 2005. Growers of crops in the affected counties may be eligible for federal disaster assistance. The affected counties include:

  • Ashland            
  • Fairfield            
  • Lake              
  • Morgan
  • Ashtabula       
  • Geauga
    		•
  • Licking
    		•
  • Morrow
  • Clermont
    		•
  • Hancock
    		•
  • Logan
    		•
  • Muskingum
  • Delaware
    		•
  • Holmes
    		•
  • Marion
    		•
  • Wyandot
    		•

    The following counties also are eligible for assistance because they border the disaster area counties:

  • Allen
    		•
  • Coshocton
    		•
  • Hardin
    		•
  • Medina
    		•
  • Richland
    		•
  • Tuscarawas
  • Athens
    		•
  • Crawford
    		•
  • Henry
    		•
  • Noble
    		•
  • Seneca
    		•
  • Union
  • Auglaize
    		•
  • Cuyahoga
    		•
  • Hocking
    		•
  • Perry
    		•
  • Shelby
    		•
  • Warren
  • Brown
    		•
  • Franklin
    		•
  • Huron
    		•
  • Pickaway
    		•
  • Stark
    		•
  • Washington
  • Champaign
    		•
  • Guernsey
    		•
  • Knox
    		•
  • Portage
    		•
  • Summit
    		•
  • Wayne
  • Clinton
    		•
  • Hamilton
    		•
  • Lorain
    		•
  • Putnam
    		•
  • Trumbull
    		•
  • Wood

    • Fla
    For specific informaiton on presidential and secretarial designations, visit www.disasterhelp.gov. There, find this map with more information on disaster areas throughout Ohio counties. Photo: DisasterHelp.gov

    These counties were designated on March 25 making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from the FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, farmers and growers of crops that are first eligible for the organization’s Non-insured Assistance Program may receive disaster relief. Eligible crops include agricultural commodities that are:

    • Grown for food;
    • Planted and grown for livestock consumption, including but not limited to grain and seeded and native forage crops;
    • Grown for fiber, except for trees; and
    • Specialty crops, such as aquaculture, floriculture, ornamental nursery, Christmas trees, turf for sod, industrial crops, and seed crops used to produce crops that are eligible for NAP.

    Growers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for the 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.

    USDA has also made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster 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: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

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