USDA Designates Five New Jersey Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Release No. 0003.19

Dana Rogge
573-876-0934
dana.rogge@mo.usda.gov

Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2019 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated five New Jersey counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses caused by Hurricane Florence and other recent disaster events may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

These natural disaster area designations allow 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.

Excessive Rain and Moisture

Producers who suffered losses caused by excessive rain and moisture that occurred between July 20 through Sept. 27, 2018, in Hunterdon and Somerset counties are eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous New Jersey counties of Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Union and Warren, along with Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Excessive Rain, Moisture, Storm-Force Winds from Hurricane Florence

Producers who suffered losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, moisture and storm-force winds from Hurricane Florence that occurred between July 20 through Sept. 27, 2018, in Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties are eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous New Jersey counties of Essex, Hunterdon, Passaic, Somerset and Union, along with Orange County, New York, and Bucks, Monroe, Northampton and Pike counties in Pennsylvania, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is Oct. 4, 2019.

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 farmers.gov/recover.