Farmers in North and Central Georgia can apply for financial assistance to cover crop losses due to the untimely March freezes.
Recently, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a natural disaster declaration for numerous Georgia counties, including Habersham, following the freezes that caused significant damage to Georgia’s peach crop and other commodities.
That declaration allows USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend essential emergency credit to Georgia farmers. USDA FSA loans can be used to meet a variety of recovery requirements, including replacing essential items such as farm equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation, or refinancing specific loans.
FSA reviews all loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.
State Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper says he’s grateful Georgia farmers are getting the help that they need.
“Since the freeze, we’ve worked with our farmers and producers to ensure USDA clearly understood the severity of the situation and the needs of those impacted by the freeze,” Harper says. “Georgia peaches are a symbol of the success of our state’s number one industry, and this much-needed relief will help farmers and producers across the state bounce back better than before.”
Eligible counties and deadline
The USDA listed 18 Georgia counties in its primary disaster declaration. Those counties include Banks, Crawford, Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Johnson, Macon, Madison, Meriwether, Monroe, Peach, Pike, Taylor, Towns, Union, and Upson. Georgia farmers and producers in these counties are eligible for federal assistance.
Farmers in contiguous counties are also eligible for emergency credit. Those counties include Barrow, Bibb, Butts, Clarke, Coweta, Dawson, Dooly, Elbert, Emanuel, Forsyth, Franklin, Gordon, Gwinnett, Harris, Hart, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Lumpkin, Marion, Murray, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Rabun, Schley, Spalding, Stephens, Sumter, Talbot, Treutlen, Troup, Washington, White, and Wilkinson.
The USDA also approved disaster relief for farmers in a handful of counties in North and South Carolina and in Tennessee.
The application deadline for assistance is February 26, 2024.
