Rapides Parish Designated Natural Disaster Area

BATON ROUGE, La. (LDAF) - Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated Rapides Parish as a primary natural disaster area. Producers who suffered losses caused by the winter storm and ice that occurred from Feb. 15-21, 2021, may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous Louisiana parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches and Vernon are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

“Many producers in this area were hit by multiple hurricanes last year only to have further losses from the winter storm in February,” Strain said. “Emergency assistance is essential to help producers recover and stay in business.”

Strain said producers may contact their local FSA office for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.