US Secretary of Agriculture Declares Disaster in 11 La. Parishes Due to Rain Losses in August

By Avery J. Davidson

Louisiana Farm Bureau News

Farmers in 11 Louisiana parishes and another 30 parishes and counties in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are eligible for disaster aid from the USDA. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack sent a letter to La. Governor John Bel Edwards dated December 20, 2022 that Loss Assessment Reports showed sufficient losses in those 11 parishes to warrant a secretarial disaster declaration.

Louisiana Farm Bureau, Congresswoman Julia Letlow and Congressman Clay Higgins worked with local FSA officials, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Governor’s Office to get the disaster declaration.

The primary disaster parishes are Ascension, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Franklin, Iberville, Madison, St. James, Tensas, Vermilion and West Baton Rouge. Parishes and counties bordering those parishes are also eligible for disaster assistance. 

Vilsack wrote, “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 counties 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.”

Read the letter here.