USDA Designates Natural Disaster Areas

Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated four Louisiana parishes as primary natural disaster areas. 

Those parishes are: Caldwell, Natchitoches, Ouachita and Red River.  Producers who suffered losses caused by Hurricane Laura and strong winds that occurred from Aug. 26 through Aug. 28, 2020, may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. 

“Parts of Louisiana that are heavily agricultural were battered by Hurricane Laura. This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed assistance to producers trying to recover,” said Strain. The emergency loans can be used for recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.

Producers in the contiguous Louisiana parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Catahoula, De Soto, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Morehouse, Rapides, Richland, Sabine, Union, Vernon and Winn are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is Aug. 2, 2021.

Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.

FSA has a variety of additional programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.