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Inglis: USDA disaster decision offers critical relief to Upstate peach farmers
(June 28, 2007)
U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) said the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision Thursday to declare Greenville and Spartanburg counties eligible for disaster farm relief will provide critical aid for hard-hit peach farmers.
More than 90 percent of the Upstate peach crop was lost as a result of a freeze in early April.
“The disaster designation won't bring back the peaches that were frozen in April, but it may help some growers stay in business for next year's crop,” Inglis said. “Helping with this freeze is the least we can do for the farmers who take significant risks to meet our food and fiber needs.”
The declaration designated 41 counties as primary natural disaster areas. Insufficient information did not allow confirmation of production losses in Beaufort, Jasper, Kershaw, Sumter and Union counties.
Inglis initially met with Upstate peach farmers May 4 at Strawberry Hill U.S.A. in Chesnee to discuss immigration and farm issues. At a follow-up meeting June 4, representatives of the USDA met with Upstate farmers for a question and answer session at Gramling Farms near Inman. USDA representatives Heyward Baker and Jeanne Lindsey gave a short presentation and answered questions from the more than 60 farmers.
Baker and Lindsey specifically addressed how crop loss payments are calculated in assessing the value of the peach crops destroyed.
According to the USDA:
Secretarial Disaster Designation Process
- Damages and losses prompting disaster designations must be due to a natural disaster; and a minimum 30-percent production of at least one crop in the county must have occured.
- If a loss occurs in the early spring, Farm Service Agency (FSA) may wait until the completion of fall harvest before completing the Damage Assessment Report (DAR).
- The normal year’s dollar value is determined by establishing a normal yield year and price. Normal yield year will be the average of the 5 years immediately preceding the disaster year for each crop.
Emergency Loan (EM) Eligibility for All Four Types of Emergency Designations
“When a county is designated as a primary disaster area, eligible producers in contiguous counties are also eligible for emergency loans. Farm operators in the primary designated counties, and in the contiguous counties, can apply and may be approved for low-interest FSA Emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements can be met.”
Loan Limit
“Eligible producers may borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses, not to exceed a total amount of $500,000. Emergency loans are further limited to a maximum, cumulative principal of $500,000 at any time.”