Gov. Perdue Secures Aid to Help Farmers Recover From Storms

USDA Declaration Opens New Source of Assistance

RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue has received from U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack a disaster declaration for 35 counties to help farmers recover from the devastating tornadoes and hurricanes of 2011.

The secretarial disaster designation enables farmers in primary and contiguous counties to apply for federal financial assistance through low-interest Farm Service Assistance loans and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) disaster assistance program.

“We have never stopped working aggressively to secure as much aid as possible for our fellow North Carolinians who suffered damage during these storms,” Perdue said. “We owe it to them to do everything we can to help them recover from these devastating losses and be ready for this year's growing season.”

Farmers in designated counties have until September 10, 2012 to apply for disaster assistance to cover crop losses.

Counties under the agricultural disaster declaration include:

Beaufort
Bertie
Camden
Carteret
Columbus
Craven
Cumberland
Currituck
Dare
Duplin
Edgecombe
Franklin
Greene
Halifax
Hyde
Johnston
Jones
Lenoir
Martin
Nash
New Hanover
Northampton
Onslow
Pamlico
Pasquotank
Pender
Pitt
Sampson
Tyrrell
Vance
Wake
Warren
Washington
Wayne
Wilson

Agricultural entities in Bladen, Brunswick, Chatham, Durham, Gates, Granville, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Perquimans, Robeson, Sampson, Wake and Wilson counties may be eligible for Farm Service Assistance loans.

Farmers can apply for assistance through the USDA-Farm Service Agency office for North Carolina. The phone number for the USDA-FSA office is 919-875-4800.

# # #