A federal disaster declaration will enable Delaware and nearby Maryland farmers and ranchers to apply for low-interest loans and other aid to help recover from damage from excessive rainfall earlier this year.
Kent and Sussex counties were declared primary disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday.
New Castle County in Delaware as well as Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Wicomico and Worcester counties in Maryland are eligible for the same assistance because they are contiguous counties, USDA officials said.
The declaration covers losses from May 1 to Sept. 15.
Farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for the loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
Other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers include the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
Lee Richardson walks though one of his Pittsville, Md., corn fields that was damaged by too much rain earlier this year. Richardson also had to replant a number of soybean fields this year due to too much rain
Source - http://www.delawareonline.com/
