USDA Designates California County Natural Disaster Area

Posted by Christina Herrick|August 15, 2011

Huge losses to some winegrowers on California’s Central Coast due to a freeze this past spring have led to the entire area being declared a disaster area. The USDA has designated San Luis Obispo County as a primary natural disaster area due to losses to winegrapes caused by freezing temperature that occurred April 8-9.

“Agriculture is the economic engine for many California residents,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I want producers to know that disaster assistance is available to them to help provide a boost to the agriculture industry at a time when help is needed most.”

Farmers and ranchers in Kern, Kings, Monterey, and Santa Barbara counties in California also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas July 29, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.

Growers 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.

USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; 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. Click here for more information.