Statewide—Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 74 Indiana counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to excessive rain and flooding that has occurred since March 1, 2019, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
The Indiana counties in the WRBI listening area with the primary natural disaster designation include Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Ohio, Ripley, and Switzerland.
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.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is April 29, 2020. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
