COLUMBUS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Ashtabula and Geauga counties in Ohio as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a tornado, excessive rain, flooding, high winds and lightning that occurred Nov. 5, 2017.
Farmers and producers in the contiguous Cuyahoga, Lake, Portage and Trumbull counties in Ohio also qualify for natural disaster assistance.
Farmers and producers in the contiguous Crawford and Erie counties in Pennsylvania also qualify for natural disaster assistance.
Qualified farm operators in the designated areas are eligible for FSA’s emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Apply
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration of Feb. 16, 2018, 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 loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. Interested farmers should contact their local USDA service centers for further information.
