Mar 1, 2021

Florida growers eligible for aid in wake of storm Eta

A disaster declaration has been issued for Florida after damage left in the wake of Eta,  a major Category 4 hurricane.

The storm was projected to cause at least $85 million in crop losses, especially seasonal produce crops.

The disaster declaration lists Collier, Hendry, Lee, and Miami-Dade counties as primary disaster areas, as well as Broward, Charlotte, Glades, Martin, Monroe, Okeechobee, and Palm Beach as contiguous counties. The notice from USDA opens access to Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster loans for agriculture producers in all 11 of the listed primary and contiguous counties.

Farmers in eligible counties will have eight months from the Feb. 12, 2021 date of the Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.

Agriculture producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office for additional details.