Source: www.thisislondon.co.uk
Essex County farms could qualify for emergency loans - Press Republican
PLATTSBURGH — Some Essex County farms could qualify for disaster funding, due to crops destroyed by frost after March 1.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued federal agriculture disaster declarations for several New York counties. The original proposal championed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had included Clinton County as well, but it was not included in the disaster declaration made by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday.
“Farmers across New York who were still recovering from last year’s natural disasters risk losing an entire season worth of crops again,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “These disaster declarations are a good first step to open up access to federal resources so these farmers can get back to business and keep New York’s agricultural industry on the move.”
After a winter of record-high temperatures, many crops on New York farms blossomed earlier than usual. Many of these crops were then exposed to early spring freezing temperatures and were destroyed as a result.
Federal agriculture disaster recovery programs provide tools to assist farmers in overcoming the challenges they can face as they work to recover from production and physical losses on their farms and rebuild their business. Help includes financial assistance to compensate for farm losses, low-interest emergency loans and assistance in rehabilitating farmland.
The Farm Service Agency said disaster emergency loan assistance is available effective June 5 for those who lost at least 30 percent of their production. Farmers may be eligible for production loss loans of up to 100 percent of their actual loss, the operating loan amount needed to continue business or a maximum principal balance outstanding of $500,000, whichever is less.
Eligible farmers must be unable to obtain credit from private commercial lenders. The interest rate on the loans is 3.75 percent.
Applications will be accepted until Feb. 5, 2013.
The Farm Service Agency office is located at 2530 State Route 40, Greenwich, NY 12834. The phone number is 692-9940, Ext. 2.
Source: pressrepublican.com
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