Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared a natural disaster in the State of North Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 18 based on losses caused by drought occurring June 21 to the present. As a result of this natural disaster, two North Carolina counties – Clay and Macon – were declared eligible for federal disaster assistance including Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency (EM) loans for eligible family farmers.
In addition to those two primary counties, four additional North Carolina counties – Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, and Swain – are named as contiguous counties where eligible family farmers may qualify for FSA EM loan assistance, in accordance with Section 321 (a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.
Gary Guinn said that effective Aug. 18, farmers in Clay, Macon, Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, and Swain counties may apply for EM loans for production losses. The deadline for filing an application is April 18, 2017. The local office is located at 225 Valley River Ave., Suite J, Murphy, NC 28906 and has office hours of Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm.
Info: North Carolina Farm Service Agency (919) 875-4850
– USDA
