Nineteen Mississippi counties have been designated as Hurricane Ida primary natural disaster areas by President Joe Biden. Producers in these counties may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency emergency loans.

The natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters such as the hurricane that impacted the area Aug. 28-Sept. 1. Emergency loans can be used to meet various needs such as replacement of essential items like equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or refinancing of certain debts.

The primary affected counties are: Lincoln, Lawrence, Copiah, Franklin, Amite, Jefferson, Pike, Walthall, Jefferson Davis, Claiborne, Covington, George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Simpson, Wayne and Wilkinson.

Producers in the following contiguous counties are also eligible to apply: Adams, Clarke, Forrest, Greene, Hinds, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Perry, Rankin, Smith, Stone and Warren.

Deadline to apply for these loans is June 22, 2022. 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 www.farmers.gov/recover.