4 Parishes Designated Primary Disaster Areas By USDA

The following is a letter received by Governor John Bel Edwards from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue earlier this week:

On November 17, 2020, the Louisiana State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency (FSA),U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), requested a primary disaster designation for Caldwell, Natchitoches, Ouachita, and Red River Parishes, Louisiana, due to damage and losses caused by Hurricane Laura and strong winds that occurred from August 26 through August 28, 2020.

USDA reviewed the Loss Assessment Reports and determined that there were sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation. Therefore, I am designating Caldwell, Natchitoches, Ouachita, and Red River Parishes, Louisiana, as primary natural disaster areas.

In accordance with section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Catahoula, De Soto, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Morehouse, Rapides, Richland, Sabine, Union, Vernon, and Winn Parishes, Louisiana, are named as contiguous disaster parishes.

A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary parishes and those areas contiguous to such primary parishes eligible to be considered for certain assistance from FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans. Farmers in eligible parishes have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.

Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.