ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County was one of 20 New York counties to be designated in April as a primary natural disaster area bay Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for losses suffered from “excessive precipitation” since July 23, 2018.

This natural disaster designation allows the Farm Service Agency to extend emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or the refinancing of certain debts.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is Dec. 10, 2019. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

FSA has a variety of additional programs to help farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. FSA programs that do not require a disaster declaration include: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; and the Tree Assistance Program.

Farmers may contact their local United States Department of Agriculture service center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at https://www.farmers.gov/recover.