St Johns farmers may be eligible for emergency loans

On June 5, Historic City News was notified by the US Department of Agriculture that St Johns County has been designated as one of Florida’s primary natural-disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain, high winds, hail, lightning, and tornadoes during the May 2 – 5 period this past spring.

St Johns County farms received 12 to 16 inches of rain during this period. Approximately half of St. Johns County’s 12,000 acres were lost due to hail, rotting (in the ground or immediately after harvest), or poor internal tuber quality after harvest. Total estimated losses could exceed $21 million.

All farm operators in St. Johns County impacted by this natural disaster who meet eligibility requirements can apply for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

Eligible farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans established to help cover part of their actual losses. Each loan application will be considered on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

There are a variety of programs, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help farmers recover from adversity; including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance, and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

Interested farmers may contact the St. Johns County Agricultural Center by e-mailing Dr. Daniel Cantliffe, UF/IFAS County Extension Director, at djcant@ufl.edu Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.