Farmers in several Northeast Georgia counties were included in a recent primary natural disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture following March freezes.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack made the declaration after the March freeze caused significant damage to Georgia's peach crop and other commodities. It allows USDA's Farm Service Agency to extend essential emergency credit to Georgia farmers.
"This declaration allows USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend essential emergency credit to Georgia farmers and follows a months’ long lobbying effort on behalf of Georgia farmers and producers by Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Robert Dickey and Russ Goodman, Georgia Agribusiness Council, Georgia Farm Bureau, and Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association as well as many others," a press release from the Georgia Department of Agriculture reads.
Primary counties in Northeast Georgia eligible for aid include Banks, Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Madison, Towns and Union counties. Contiguous counties also include Barrow, Clarke, Dawson, Elbert, Forsyth, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hart, Lumpkin, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Rabun, Stephens and White counties.
USDA FSA loans can be used to meet various recovery requirements, including replacing essential items such as farm equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation or refinancing specific loans.
“I’m grateful to USDA Secretary Vilsack for recognizing the importance of delivering much-needed relief to Georgia farmers following the untimely freezes in March,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “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. 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.”
The application deadline is Feb. 26, 2024. More information can be found here.
