WASHINGTON – January 21, 2011 - Senator Chuck Grassley said today that eight Iowa counties have received a primary natural disaster designation and 27 Iowa counties have received a contiguous disaster designation from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, due to severe storms that occurred in 2010.
The following eight counties were named primary natural disaster counties due to severe storms that occurred from May 1 to September 20, 2010: Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Louisa, Madison, Scott, Sioux and Washington.
The following 25 counties were named contiguous disaster counties due to severe storms that occurred from May 1 to September 20, 2010: Adair, Benton, Cedar, Cherokee, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Des Moines, Dubuque, Guthrie, Henry, Jefferson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Lyon, Muscatine, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Polk, Poweshiek, Tama, Union and Warren.
The following two counties were named contiguous disaster counties due to severe storms that occurred from June 17 to November 1, 2010: Winnebago and Worth.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties are eligible to be considered for assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This assistance includes FSA emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program. Producers have eight months from the date of the secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. The department says the FSA will consider each application on its own merit by taking into account the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability. Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.
"These emergency loans are available to help farmers recover from losses caused by storms in 2010," Grassley said. "I encourage all affected farmers in Iowa to apply for assistance."
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