NEWS
Farm Service Agency
Public Affairs Staff
1400 Independence Ave SW
Stop 0506, Room 3624-South
Washington, D.C. 20250-0506

                                        Release No. 1665.04

                             Jillene Johnson (202) 720-9733
                               jillene.johnson@wdc.usda.gov

     USDA DESIGNATES COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA, COLORADO
         AND KANSAS AS AGRICULTURE DISASTER AREAS
       Decision Allows Farmers and Ranchers to Apply
                   for USDA Assistance

      WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2004 -- The U.S. Department of 
Agriculture designated counties in California, Colorado and 
Kansas as primary agricultural disaster areas.

                        California

      In California, Alameda County is designated as a 
primary disaster area due to damages and losses caused by 
drought that occurred from March 1, 2004, and continuing.  
Also eligible because they are contiguous are Contra Costa, 
San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Stanislaus Counties.

                         Colorado

      In Colorado the following counties are designated as 
primary disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by 
drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing:

   Baca       Eagle      Jackson      Pitkin     Summit
   Chaffee    Fremont    Kit Carson   Pueblo
   Cheyenne   Garfield   Lake         Prowers
   Custer     Grand      Lincoln      Routt

      Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and 
continuing, freeze that occurred on May 13, 2004, and hail 
that occurred on June 5, 2004:

                         Phillips

      Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and 
continuing freeze that occurred on May 2, 2004, May 14, 
2004, and May 26, 2004 through May 28, 2004; and hail that 
occurred on June 1, 2004, and June 4, 2004:

                          Yuma

      Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and 
continuing, and freeze that occurred on April 12, 2004, 
April 13, 2004, May 13, 2004, and May 14, 2004:

                         Kiowa

      Also eligible because they are contiguous are the 
following counties for:

      Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and 
continuing:

   Arapahoe      Elbert       Larimer        Park
   Bent          El Paso      Las Animas     Rio Blanco
   Boulder       Gilpin       Mesa           Saguache
   Clear Creek   Gunnison     Moffat         Teller
   Crowley       Huerfano     Otero

      Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and 
continuing, freeze that occurred on May 13, 2004, and hail 
that occurred on June 5, 2004:

   Logan         Sedgwick     Yuma

      Drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2004, and 
continuing, freeze that occurred on May 2, 2004, May 14, 
2004, and May 26, 2004 through May 28, 2004; and hail that 
occurred on June 1, 2004, and June 4, 2004:

   Kit Carson    Logan        Phillips       Washington

      Freeze that occurred on April 12, April 13, May 13, 
and May 14, 2004:

   Bent          Crowley      Otero
   Cheyenne      Lincoln      Prowers

                          Kansas

      The following ten counties in Kansas have been 
declared primary agricultural disaster areas by the 
Secretary because of hail, high winds, tornadoes, excessive 
rain and flooding that occurred April 23, 2004, through 
May, 29, 2004:

   Barber        Geary        Republic
   Cloud         Gove         Scott
   Cowley        Harper       Sumner
   Decatur

      The following 29 counties in Kansas are also eligible 
because they are contiguous:

   Butler      Finney     Lane      Ottawa      Thomas
   Chautauqua  Graham     Logan     Pratt       Trego
   Clay        Jewell     Mitchell  Rawlins     Wabaunsee
   Comanche    Kearny     Morris    Riley       Washington
   Dickinson   Kingman    Ness      Sedgwick    Wichita
   Elk         Kiowa      Norton    Sheridan

      The following 34 counties in Kansas have been 
declared agricultural disaster areas by the Secretary 
because of freezing conditions that occurred on April 7, 
2004, through May 15, 2004, and drought that occurred from 
Jan. 1, 2004, and continuing:

   Cheyenne    Greeley    Logan     Rawlins     Stanton
   Decatur     Hamilton   Mitchell  Rooks       Stevens
   Ellis       Haskell    Morton    Russell     Thomas
   Finney      Hodgeman   Ness      Scott       Trego
   Gove        Jewell     Norton    Seward      Wallace
   Graham      Kearny     Osborne   Sheridan    Wichita
   Grant       Lane       Phillips  Sherman

      The following counties in Kansas are eligible because 
they are contiguous:

   Barton      Ellsworth    Lincoln    Pawnee      Smith
   Cloud       Ford         Meade      Republic
   Edwards     Gray         Ottawa     Rush

      The California counties were designated on Aug. 18, 
2004; the Colorado counties  were designated on Aug. 14, 
2004; and the Kansas counties were designated on Aug. 20, 
2004, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-
interest emergency (EM) loans from the Farm Service Agency 
(FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.  Farmers 
in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the 
declaration to apply for the loans to help cover part of 
their actual losses.  FSA will consider each loan 
application on its own merits, taking into account the 
extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.  
FSA has a variety of programs available, in addition to the 
emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover 
from adversity.

      USDA has also made other programs available to assist 
farmers and ranchers, including the Emergency Conservation 
Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop 
Disaster Assistance Program.

      Interested farmers may contact their local USDA 
Service Centers for further information on eligibility 
requirements and application procedures for these and other 
programs.  Additional information is also available online 
at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov 

                              #

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