USDA Designates San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona as a Primary Natural Disaster Area

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated the San Carlos apache Reservation in Arizona as a primary natural disaster due to losses caused by drought, high winds, excessive heat and wildfires that began Jan. 1, 2011 and continues.

“Assistance is critically important for producers on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, especially in helping them keep their farmland healthy for the remainder of the year,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I realize that during this time of disaster, federal assistance will be needed until conditions improve as farmers strive to recover their losses.”

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Arizona also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

Apache Gila Graham Greenlee

Navajo Pinal

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas July 20, 2011, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov .

FSA news releases are available on FSA’s website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov via the “News and Events” link.