Local officials will hold an emergency board meeting today to estimate damage for a federal disaster-area request, said Dan Root, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Freeborn County Executive Director.

Thursday, June 21, 2001

Local officials will hold an emergency board meeting today to estimate damage for a federal disaster-area request, said Dan Root, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Freeborn County Executive Director. If a disaster declaration is made, it would allow for more federal funds to aid farmers.

Some sources of financial assistance are available at any time during a natural disaster, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) allows farmers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by wind erosion, floods, or other natural disasters. Examples may include debris removal, water for livestock, fence restoration, grading and shaping farmland, and restoring conservation structures.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) finances uninsurable food crops and commodities that are affected by a natural disaster before or during harvest, the department said. Eligible crops include aquiculture, floriculture, ornamental nursery, Christmas trees, turf grass sod, seed crops and industrial crops, the department said.

In addition, farmers who are denied credit from private institutions could be eligible for a Federal Emergency Loan, Root said. Emergency loans are used to restore or replace essential property, pay all or a portion of production costs from the disaster year, pay family living expenses, reorganize the farming operation and refinance debts. To qualify, farmers must have suffered a loss of at least 30 percent in their farm enterprise, cannot obtain commercial credit, and have repayment ability. The maximum amount loaned to any individual farmer is $500,000.

Farmers in Freeborn, Steele, Waseca and other Minnesota counties affected by this year’s spring floods could be eligible to receive the emergency loans from the FSA.

Just declaring Freeborn County a federal disaster area won’t guarantee Congress will fund relief programs, but it is likely they will pass some kind of crop loss disaster program, Root said.

&uot;I’m sure we’ll see some sort of extra deficiency type payment,&uot; he said.

Farmers should talk to their representatives to make sure they know the gravity of the situation this year, Root said. That could help move the programs into place.