United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made disaster declarations for farmers in Mississippi and Craighead counties after they suffered losses and damage after an Oct. 7 storm, the state Agriculture Department announced Wednesday.
Vilsack issued the declarations after requests by Gov. Mike Beebe, the department said. Qualifying farmers will be eligible for federal aid, including emergency loans.
Crittenden, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence and Poinsett counties were also named contiguous disaster counties in the declaration.
“The farmers in those counties will qualify for the same loans,” Zachary Taylor, director of marketing for the Arkansas Agriculture Department, said.
Taylor said some farmland in those counties could have been damaged by the storm, but there isn’t enough damage throughout the area to make the entire county qualify for a “disaster declaration.”
“I appreciate Gov. Beebe’s and Secretary Vilsack’s quick response to this agricultural disaster. The unprecedented hail and wind damage at this critical time of year for agriculture has cost Arkansas farmers a tremendous amount in lost crops that can’t be recovered,” Butch Calhoun, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture, said in a news release.
The amount of federal aid a farmer receives will depend on their damage, Taylor said.
Those who feel they may qualify for the aid are asked to contact their local Farm Service Agency office.