A federal natural disaster designation by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for farmers hit by Hurricane Arthur will allow Pamlico County farmers and those in contiguous counties to apply for emergency loans.
Paula Nicholls, farm loan manager for the Farm Services Agency, said Secretary Tom Vilsack made his declaration Sept. 10 and the emergency loan program followed. The information was released by the local FSA office Wednesday.
Nicholls said that farmers whose crops had losses as a result of Hurricane Arthur may apply for the FSA emergency loans at the Washington, N.C., Service Center office. The deadline for filing an application is May 11, 2015.
Pamlico as the primary disaster county with Craven, Carteret, Beaufort and Hyde counties eligible because of their proximity to Pamlico and the fact that storm damage does not stop at county lines.
“By default, surrounding counties are eligible for FSA assistance,” said Mike Carroll, Craven County extension agent. “Primary assistance is a low-interest loan for those that cannot get loans elsewhere.”
The primary crop disaster loses in this region were in Pamlico and Carteret counties, said Carroll, primarily to corn and tobacco. Much of Pamlico and several farms near Merrimon and Beaufort in Carteret County saw severe storm damage from Arthur.
“I don’t know how much has been lost as a result of water but corn and peanuts have probably experienced the greatest storm loss” that can be covered by the Farm Service Agency Emergency Loan Program, Carroll said.
The July 3 hurricane caused excessive rain and winds that hurt those crops but subsequent heavy rainfall has had an equal or greater effect in Craven County and on other crops including tobacco.
“Regrettably, the insurance programs today don’t get triggered as much by disaster events as they do by revenue loss but in those cases they have over 80 percent of the crop destroyed,” he said.
“Continued frequent rain is not a disaster and that is regrettable too,” he said. “You have to have a definable weather related event.”
The six to 15 inches of rain per month since June in Craven County — one grower reported 16 inches in June — won’t be covered by this program, said Carroll.
He is talking to producers now who may be covered by crop insurance on the county’s main crops including tobacco, soy beans, corn and cotton.
Carroll said Wednesday’s rain is a “perfect example” of what area farmers have had to deal with all season.
“A few farmers were able to continue to harvest corn yesterday for the first time in about a week,” he said. “Now with almost another two inches of rainfall, harvest may be delayed for another week — assuming no more rain.
“In this case, rainfall on mature corn decreases kernel quality and weight as well as increases the chance of disease establishment within the ear,” Carroll said. “Continued warm weather with these rains will result in germination of the seed within the ear creating an worthless ear.”
Still, at an estimated $77 billion annually, agriculture remains North Carolina’s and one of Craven County’s biggest businesses.
Carroll said that in Craven County, the about 2,600 acres planted “tobacco leads farm sales with an estimated $10 million to $13 million depending upon harvest of the remaining crop.
“Corn and soybeans rank slightly less at about $9 million to $10 million for each crop,” he said, with a general estimate of about 16,000 acres of corn and 25,000 acres of soy beans growing in Craven County fields.
“Peanuts, wheat and cotton farm sales are similar generating approximately $2.5 to $3.5 million each,” he said. “Sorghum and sweet potatoes are grown on a limited acres and will contribute approximately $1million combined.”
Source - http://www.newbernsj.com/
