More than 20 Arkansas counties have been designated as disaster areas by the U.S. secretary of agriculture, allowing farmers and ranchers to receive assistance for losses caused by flooding in the Delta.
The Arkansas congressional delegation announced the decision Wednesday afternoon.
Under the designation, agricultural producers in Cross, Jackson, Independence, Lee, Lonoke, Monroe, Prairie, St. Francis, White and Woodruff counties will be eligible to apply for assistance.
"Last month's flash floods not only damaged Arkansans' homes and businesses, but destroyed crops and washed away land used for livestock," U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said in a statement. "Storms like these remind us of the importance of supporting disaster relief and helping our neighbors in need."
An additional 13 counties were named contiguous disaster areas, which allows affected farmers in those counties to also apply for assistance. Those counties are Arkansas, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Faulkner, Izard, Jefferson, Lawrence, Phillips, Poinsett, Pulaski, Sharp and Stone.
Most of the losses occurred in U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford's district.
"While a Secretarial Disaster Declaration does not solve the ongoing flooding dilemma facing our producers, it does provide emergency loan assistance to lessen uncertainty and get our growers back in their fields next year," Crawford said in a statement.
Gov. Mike Beebe sent a letter to Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture, on July 3 asking for the declaration.
"Arkansas has suffered agricultural devastation, including damage and losses to crops and pastures," Beebe said in the letter.
Vilsack declared the disaster 20 days later. Butch Calhoun, Arkansas secretary of agriculture, said the last declaration took several months.
"It's a real quick turnaround," Calhoun said. "This is exactly what we wanted, and it's what the state needed."
Linda Newkirk, state executive director for the U.S. Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency, said farmers in all 23 counties should reach out to their local Farm Service Agency offices for more information.
"What this gives [farmers] immediately would be low interest loans for farming and agriculture as a result of the disaster," she said. "A disaster designation would also let the county be covered if additional programs became available, or if there was additional legislation for those particular counties."
Business on 07/24/2014