U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, has approved Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request for a Secretarial disaster declaration for 18 Iowa counties impacted by the Aug. 10 derecho, including Guthrie County. The declaration makes farm operators in the designated counties eligible to receive emergency assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, says “These widespread weather impacts have caused our producers and their communities to experience unprecedented losses. We are thankful for the USDA’s partnership and Secretary Perdue’s disaster designation which gives our producers access to federal loan and recovery resources.” In accordance with the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, the 24 contiguous counties, including Audubon, Carroll and Greene, are also eligible for low-interest emergency loans. Farmers in these counties have eight months from the date of the Sept. 3 declaration to apply for assistance. Applications can be submitted using the link included below this story or by contacting a local USDA Service Center. Reynolds says, “I want to thank President Trump, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, and the entire administration for their continued support for Iowa’s derecho recovery. This designation by Secretary Perdue extends a low-interest lifeline to farmers affected by this devastating storm in the 42 counties considered primary and contiguous natural disaster areas.”
_____
https://www.farmers.gov/recover
