The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated nine Alabama counties, Perry and Bibb among them, as primary natural disaster areas because of recent drought, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries announced last week.
Twenty more counties, including Hale, Jefferson and Marengo, were listed as contiguous disaster counties.
The designation lets eligible producers in those counties apply for USDA assistance programs, including emergency loans, to help recover from production losses and increased costs from the drought.
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the designation to apply for emergency loans, the department said.
The primary counties are Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Perry, Pickens, Shelby and Tuscaloosa.
The contiguous counties are Clarke, Coosa, Elmore, Escambia, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lowndes, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Walker, Washington and Wilcox.
Producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency office for details on assistance, eligibility and deadlines. The Perry County FSA office in Marion, 334-683-9017, serves Perry and Bibb counties. Service centers are listed at farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator.
