WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 17 counties in Maryland as Natural Disaster Areas, with several contiguous counties, including in Pennsylvania, also eligible for assistance.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of either D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks, D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.
This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the USDA Farm Service Agency to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers who are recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.
Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
Maryland-based farmers and agricultural businesses in the primary eligible counties include Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Garrett, Kent, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester and may apply for assistance.
Additionally, contiguous counties in neighboring states are also eligible, including Kent, New Castle and Sussex in Delaware; the District of Columbia; Bedford, Chester, Fayette, Fulton, Lancaster, Somerset and York in Pennsylvania; Accomack, Fairfax, King George, Prince William, Stafford, Westmoreland and Alexandria in Virginia, and Grant, Hampshire, Mineral, Morgan and Preston in West Virginia.
For more resources and information, farmers can visit the website farmers.gov to access the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, the Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet and the Loan Assistance Tool to explore program and loan options.
Those needing to file a Notice of Loss or seeking further information on available assistance programs should contact their local USDA Service Center.
