USDA approves disaster aid for farmers in 25 Alabama counties

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agriculture crops farm farmers

Farmers in 25 Alabama counties are eligible for emergency loans because of excessive rainfall, wind and flooding this year, Gov. Robert Bentley‘s office announced.

The United States Department of Agriculture approved the counties for a Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation, allowing farmers to be considered for help from the USDA-Farm Service Agency.

The severe weather caused extensive damage to many crops during the 2015 growing season, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

Bentley sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack on Nov. 12 asking for the assistance.

Today, Vilsack formally designated 13 counties as primary natural disaster areas, as well as 12 contiguous counties.

The counties are: Baldwin, Barbour, Butler, Bullock, Chambers, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Tallapoosa and Wilcox.

Farmers in those counties have 8 months to apply for emergency loans. The applications will be evaluated individually based on direct production losses.

Republished with permission of the Associated Press.

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