Washington, DC—Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet announced today that Colorado farmers and ranchers in Sedgwick County are eligible for natural disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The announcement comes on the heels of the USDA’s recent designation of several Nebraska and Colorado counties, including Sedgwick County, as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, hail and high winds that occurred from June 16 through June 21, 2011.
“It’s important that Colorado producers have a measure of stability when unforeseen factors affect production, especially during these difficult economic times,” Bennet said. “I encourage all eligible producers to take advantage of this assistance from the USDA.”
All qualified farm operators in Sedgwick County are eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), provided eligibility requirements are met. Benefits are also available for the contiguous counties of Yuma and Phillips. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.
Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.