Producers can seek emergency relief in southwest Mississippi after January flood event
Published 10:19 am Thursday, May 30, 2024
- This is a hardwood bottom system flooded by the Bayou Pierre in Lincoln County after heavy rainfall dumped inches of rain on the area in January. (Hunter Cloud | The Daily Leader)
Administrator Zach Ducheneaux designated one (1) county in the State of Mississippi as a primary natural disaster area. Producers in Walthall county who suffered physical damage and losses caused by flooding that occurred January 25, 2024 through January 29, 2024 may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.
Producers in the contiguous Mississippi counties of Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, and Pike are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is January 24, 2025.
Producers in Franklin county who suffered physical damage and losses caused by flash flood that occurred January 25, 2024 may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. Producers in Adams, Amite, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Wilkinson Counties are eligible for emergency loans.
FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of additional programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster.
FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; and the Tree Assistance Program.
Farmers may contact their local USDA service center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at https://www.farmers.gov/recover.