Benton County On Flood Disaster List

— Benton County is one of 32 counties in Arkansas that have been designated “primary disaster areas” due to the excessive rainfall and extensive flooding that occurred from September 1, 2009, and continuing.

The announcement came from the United States Department of Agriculture earlier this month.

“President Obama and I understand these conditions caused severe damage to the area and serious harm to farms in Arkansas and we want to help,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Farmers and ranchers in contiguous counties also qualify. These counties include Carroll, Madison and Washington Counties.

All qualified farm operators are eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security availability and repayment ability, the announcement said.

Contact your local Farm Service Agency, located in Bentonville.

News, Pages 8 on 01/27/2010