More than 150 Georgia counties have been declared agricultural disaster areas as excessive heat and drought took a toll on crops over the summer.
The declaration includes Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Murray, Walker, Gilmer, Fannin and Gordon counties, but not Whitfield.
To qualify, counties had to have sustained production losses of 30 percent or greater because of the drought. The disaster designation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows farmers in the designated counties to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the department’s Farm Service Agency.
In a news release, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue praised the USDA decision to “do everything in our power to assist farmers in counties that have been hit hard by dry weather and extreme heat in the past several months.”
Walker County Extension Agent Norm Edwards said he didn’t know how many would apply, but soybean, corn and even cattle farmers all took a hit over the summer.
“Some of the farmers did have some pretty significant losses,” he said.
Farmers in qualified counties have until July 26, 2011, to apply for emergency loan assistance.
Contact staff writer Andy Johns at ajohns@timesfree press.com or call 423-757-6324.