CORRECTION TO USDA RELEASE 0254.01, COUNTIES IN TEXAS COUNTIES IN TEXAS ELIGIBLE FOR USDA EMERGENCY FARM LOANS 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. 0269.01 Dann Stuart (202) 690-0474 dan_stuart@wdc.usda.gov CORRECTION TO USDA RELEASE 0254.01, COUNTIES IN TEXAS ELIGIBLE FOR USDA EMERGENCY FARM LOANS WASHINGTON, December 20, 2001--On December 11, 2001, USDA announced 23 counties in Texas approved for emergency loans because of a variety of weather related disasters (release number 0254.01). Some of the counties listed in that release were listed in error and some counties that were approved were omitted from the release. That release should have announced 47 counties, including: Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Glasscock, Hardeman, Hidalgo, Howard, Jim Hogg, Kent, Kleberg, Maverick, Starr, and Zapata Counties. Also eligible because they are contiguous, are Borden, Brooks, Cameron, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Fisher, Foard, Garza, Gray, Hall, Jim Wells, Kenedy, King, Kinney, Martin, Midland, Mitchell, Motley, Nueces, Reagan, Scurry, Sterling, Stonewall, Upton, Uvalde, Webb, Wilbarger, Wilacy, Wheeler and Zavala Counties. This designation makes all qualified farm operators in primary and contiguous disaster counties eligible for low- interest EM loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of this declaration, December 5, 2001, 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. Information is also available online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/disaster/assistance1.htm #