Richard V. Snuffer II, West Virginia Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, announced the designation of eight counties in West Virginia for FSA Emergency (EM) Loans.
“The counties of Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers, Webster Counties were designated for Emergency Loans by President Obama because of damages caused by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred June 22, 2016, and continuing,” stated Snuffer. “This designation was made to enable FSA to provide financial assistance to those farm families who suffered severe physical and production losses as a result of the disaster,” he “Public Law 98-258 provides for counties that are contiguous to another county that has been designated as a disaster area, to also be eligible for EM Loans,” stated Snuffer. Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Jackson, Lewis, Lincoln, Mercer, Pendleton, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Upshur, and Witt Counties are contiguous to one or more of the designated counties and are therefore eligible for assistance,” Snuffer explained.
To be eligible for an Emergency Loan, the farmer must have suffered at least a SEVERE physical and/or production loss, be able to evidence adequate repayment ability and be unable to obtain adequate credit from other sources. Loans to one operation are limited to $500,000 or the calculated production loss plus the physical loss, whichever is less. Loans are also limited to owners and/or operators of not larger than family-sized farming operations.
“Farmers in the above West Virginia Counties may apply for EM Loans up through February 28, 2017, for counties named in the original designation and the first amendment to that designation” added Snuffer. “The deadline for application for Pocahontas, Webster, Lewis, Pendleton, Randolph, and Upshur Counties is March 1, 2017. Applications should be filed in the FSA County Office which serves the county in which the farmer lives,” he concluded.
For more information, please contact the Braxton-Clay-Nicholas-Webster Counties FSA Office at (304) 364-5103.
