Agriculture Related Disaster Declarations
Agricultural-related disasters are quite common within the state. The Farm Services Agency (FSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that makes emergency management loans in counties (or parishes) where severe physical property damages and/or severe production losses occur as a result of a natural disaster. Producers affected may apply for low-interest emergency loans in counties named as primary or contiguous under a disaster designation. There are four types of disaster designations that can be made:
- Presidential major disaster declaration - A Presidential Declaration can be made within days or hours of the initial request. A Presidential major disaster declaration is requested through the state and is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
- USDA Secretarial disaster designation - Damages and losses prompting disaster designations must be due to a natural disaster; and a minimum 30 percent production loss of at least one crop in the county must have occurred. The county has 60 days from the end of the incident to request implementation of the USDA Emergency Loan Program. The request should include a completed California County Agricultural Commissioner Disaster Report form.
- FSA Administrator's Physical Loss Notification - The designation is for physical losses only, such as a building destroyed by a tornado. Livestock related losses are also considered physical losses. The request should include a completed California County Agricultural Commissioner Disaster Report form
- Quarantine designation - A Quarantine Designation authorizes Emergency Management Loans for production and physical losses resulting from quarantine.
APPLICABLE FORMS
§ County Agricultural Commissioner Instructions
§ County Agricultural Commissioner Disaster Report |