USDA ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY LOANS FOR GEORGIA FARMERS Media Contact: Dann Stuart (202) 690-0474

NEWS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Office of Communications News Room 460-A Washington, DC 20250-1300 Internet: News@usda.gov Phone: 202-720-9035 World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.usda.gov Release No. 0148.02 Dann Stuart (202) 690-0474 USDA ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY LOANS FOR GEORGIA FARMERS WASHINGTON, April 15, 2002 -- Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today named 25 counties in Georgia as eligible for USDA emergency farm loans due to losses caused by drought that began January 1, 2001. "Georgia has experienced severe weather conditions in the past year," said Veneman. "This assistance will help Georgia's farmers to recover from these natural disaster losses." The following counties were named as a primary disaster area on April 5, 2002: Banks, Butts, Candler, Clayton, Dooly, Elbert, Emanuel, Fayette, Glascock, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Laurens, Madison, Oglethorpe, Tattnall, Taylor, Washington and Wilkinson. Crisp, Houston, Pulaski, Sumter and Wilcox counties also are eligible because they are contiguous. This designation makes all qualified farm operators in primary and contiguous disaster counties eligible for low- interest EM loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of this declaration to apply for the 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 available, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. Interested farmers may contact their local FSA offices for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is also available online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/disaster/assistance1.htm.