Bredesen Requests Federal Farm Assistance for Giles and Macon Counties

“A disaster designation for these counties will be important for getting much needed federal assistance in the hands of farmers to help them recover from last year’s drought,” said Bredesen. “I’m pleased that USDA has acted on my earlier requests and I urge their consideration of these additional counties.”

 

A disaster designation would make farmers in these and adjoining counties eligible to apply for assistance through their local USDA Farm Service Agency. Qualifying farmers are eligible to be considered for emergency loans, livestock assistance and supplemental farm payments as provided by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. 

 

To date, 55 counties have been designated disaster areas by USDA due to 2008’s drought conditions. The counties include:

 

Anderson, Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Cannon, Carroll, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Henry, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lauderdale, Loudon, Marshall, Maury, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, Weakley, White and Wilson.

 

Farmers in these areas suffered crop losses ranging from 35 to 65 percent. Livestock producers reported low hay stocks going into the winter months due to parched pastures and significantly reduced hay yields last summer and fall. 

 

For livestock producers needing to buy or looking to sell hay, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Tennessee Farm Bureau cooperatively manage the Tennessee Hay Directory. A listing of local and out-of-state sources of hay can be found at www.picktnproducts.org.

 

A list of federal disaster declarations by state and county, including eligible adjoining counties, can be found online at www.fema.gov/dhsusda.