On Oct. 13, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue declared a natural disaster in the State of South Carolina based on damages and losses caused by frost and freeze that occurred from March 4 to March 17. 

In accordance with Section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, five adjacent counties in North Carolina are named as contiguous counties where eligible family farmers may qualify for FSA emergency (EM) loan assistance.

Gary Guinn said that effective Oct. 13, farmers in Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties may apply for EM loans for production losses. June 13, 2018 is the deadline for filing an application. The local office is located at 61 Triple Springs Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28739 and has office hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Gary Guinn said that any farmer who suffered a production loss should contact his/her office for additional information.

– submitted by Gary Guinn