MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 30 counties in Alabama as primary natural disaster areas due to recent drought conditions, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate announced Tuesday.
The conditions, combined with unusually dry air across the state have led to an increased risk of wildfires and red flag warnings in recent weeks, according to the Alabama Forestry Commission.
Commissioner Pate said in a statement Tuesday that the drought conditions were putting significant stress on Alabama farmers and ranchers, and impacting crops, pastures and livestock across much of the state.
“We appreciate USDA recognizing the severity of these conditions and providing this disaster designation so producers have access to emergency assistance,” he said.
The 30 primary counties included in the disaster designation are Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Washington and Wilcox.
Twelve other counties have been listed as contiguous disaster areas including Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Dallas, Mobile, Perry, Pickens, Randolph and Tuscaloosa counties.
The Department of Agriculture and Industries said that farmers living in any of these counties may qualify to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance as long as they meet certain eligibility requirements.
Farm operators in theses counties can see if they qualify by visiting the USDA Farm Service Agency’s website.
If you are a farmer who may be impacted, you can visit your local USDA Service Center for more information and resources.
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