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USDA Designates 25 Parishes in Louisiana as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with

USDA Designates 25 Parishes in Louisiana as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 25 parishes in Louisiana as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought. Those parishes are:  Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous parishes in Avoyelles, Concordia, Rapides and Vernon in Louisiana also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties in Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties are: Arkansas—Ashley, Chicot, Columbia, Lafayette, Miller and Union Mississippi—Adams, Claiborne, Issaquena, Jefferson and Warren Texas—Cass, Harrison, Marion, Newton, Panola, Sabine and Shelby Qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA’s)emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties and parishes have eight months from the date of the declaration of March 8, 2018, 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 the impacts of this disaster. Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include:Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree 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. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.