COLCHESTER, Vt. -- Dec. 26, 2017- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Grafton County in New Hampshire as a primary natural disaster area due to losses and damages caused by early season, excessive moisture and unseasonably cool temperatures that occurred from May 1 through Sept. 10, 2017.

USDA Designates Grafton County in New Hampshire as a Primary Natural Disaster Area with Assistance to Producers in Vermont

COLCHESTER, Vt. -- Dec. 26, 2017- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Grafton County in New Hampshire as a primary natural disaster area due to losses and damages caused by early season, excessive moisture and unseasonably cool temperatures that occurred from May 1 through Sept. 10, 2017.

 

Farmers and ranchers in Belknap, Carroll, Coos, Merrimack and Sullivan counties in New Hampshire also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

 

Farmers and ranchers in Caledonia, Essex, Orange and Windsor counties in Vermont also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

 

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Dec. 21, 2017, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for FSA’s emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration 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 adversity.

 

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.

 

FSA news releases are available on FSA’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov via the “Newsroom” link.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).