Additional counties declared natural disaster areas

Agriculture Secy. Tom Vilsack designated an additional four counties in Wisconsin as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought.

The counties announced in the Secretarial Disaster Designation include: Juneau, Monroe, Vernon and Waushara.

Producers in the following counties also qualify for emergency loans because their counties are contiguous: Adams, Columbia, Crawford, Green Lake, Jackson, La Crosse, Marquette, Portage, Richland, Sauk, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood.

"The counties announced in the Secretarial Disaster Designation have the opportunity to access low interest emergency loans through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). These loans are available to producers who have suffered qualifying damages or losses from the current drought," said Brad Pfaff, Wisconsin FSA state executive director. "The deadline to file for a disaster loan is March 13, 2013."

Actual loss loans for producers losses will be based on the disaster year production compared to the previous three-year production history.

The actual loss loans for physical damages to property destroyed or damaged will be based upon the allowable cost associated with repairing or replacing the property destroyed or damaged.

In addition, the damaged or destroyed property must be essential to the continuation of the operation. Interest rates for actual loss loans that do not exceed $500,000 will be 2.125 percent.

Producers who feel they have sustained a qualifying loss and are interested in more information may contact their local county FSA office.