County eligible for disaster aid

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Shoshone County in Idaho as a primary natural disaster area due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought.

Farmers and ranchers in Benewah, Bonner, Clearwater, Kootenai and Latah counties in Idaho also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

Farmers and ranchers in Mineral and Sanders counties in Montana also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Dec. 4, 2017, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for FSA’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. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.

Information: disaster.fsa.usda.gov