Essex County eligible

for disaster aid

GREENWICH -- Essex County has been declared eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster emergency-loan assistance effective Sept. 16 due to damage and losses caused by severe storms and flooding that occurred July 21 to Aug. 12.

Family farmers who have suffered losses of at least 30 percent of their production due to the severe storms and flooding may be eligible for FSA loans. Proceeds from crop insurance and any FSA programs are taken into account when determining eligibility for production losses. Losses must be supported with documented records.

Under the FSA Emergency Loan Programs, farmers may be eligible for production-loss loans of up to 100 percent of their actual losses, or the operating loan amount needed to continue in business, or a maximum principal balance outstanding of $500,000, whichever is less. Farmers must be unable to obtain credit from private commercial lenders. The interest rate on emergency loans is 3.75 percent.

Applications for loans under this emergency designation will be accepted until May 12, 2009. The FSA office is located at 2530 State Route 40, Greenwich, N.Y., 12834, telephone 692-9940, Ext. 2.