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(Lincoln, NE) Following a visit to fields in western Nebraska, Gov. Dave Heineman today requested natural disaster declarations for eight Nebraska counties due to ongoing drought conditions. The Governor asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to approve a disaster declaration for Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Perkins, and Red Willow counties. Requests for additional counties are likely as more data is collected by Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in the state.
“Recent high temperatures and winds have resulted in the quick deterioration of area fields and forage land,” Gov. Heineman said. “With the hottest part of the summer still ahead, conditions may not have much room for improvement if these areas don’t receive some much needed moisture soon.
“Nebraska’s ag industry plays a vital role in our state economy, and the ongoing drought has certainly presented challenges for producers. A disaster declaration will help ensure our farmers and ranchers have options to help mitigate the impact of the drought on their operations.”
Damage assessment reports from Nebraska USDA County Emergency Boards indicate that the eight counties making up the Governor’s initial disaster request have suffered at least a 30 percent loss in one or more crop areas.
In his letter to Secretary Johanns, the Governor wrote, “While pasture, wheat and other crop losses can be attributed to conditions in the current year, these counties have also been impacted by the cumulative effects of several years of drought. Unfortunately, producers are once again being forced to cull cattle and find alternative sources of forage at a time when pastures should be readily available for grazing.”
A natural disaster designation provides affected producers with access to an emergency low-interest loan program, and opens the door to the FSA disaster set-aside program, which allows existing FSA direct loan borrowers to delay payment if they are unable to do so as a result of a disaster. It also provides access to the Small Business Administration disaster loan program for affected businesses, and it provides documentation for the Internal Revenue Service allowing producers to defer income on forced livestock sales due to the disaster. The designation can also be used to determine county eligibility for other FSA disaster programs.
Read
the Governor's Letter to Secretary Johanns (pdf)
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