Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated nine Colorado counties as contiguous natural disaster areas due to persistent drought conditions. The designations make farmers and ranchers eligible for assistance from the Farm Service Agency.
The nine Colorado counties include: Jackson, Larimer, Logan, Moffat, Phillips, Routt, Sedgwick, Weld, and Yuma.
“Drought conditions continue to persist in Colorado and across much of West, and forecasters are predicting another hot and dry summer that will make it difficult on producers in our state,” Bennet said. “These disaster designations will provide critical assistance to farmers and ranchers to help offset their losses. Our state relies heavily on our agriculture industry, and these resources will help producers continue to weather the dry conditions.
“This should also serve as a signal to Congress that we cannot wait any longer to pass a long-term Farm Bill that will provide producers in Colorado and across the country the certainty they deserve, especially when weather disasters continue to affect their output. Last year, the Senate passed a five-year bill with broad bipartisan support that made critical reforms to farm programs, improved conservation programs, and reduced the deficit by tens of billions of dollars. I urge my colleagues in both the House and Senate to work together to get this done quickly.”
Producers in counties designated as primary or contiguous disaster areas are eligible to be considered for FSA emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for assistance. Local FSA offices can provide farmers and ranchers with additional information.