By Erin Smith
Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Bob Etheridge submitted a formal request this week to have 40 counties in North Carolina to receive a Secretarial Declaration as agricultural disaster areas. Bladen County is one of the counties that will be covered by the declaration.
Bladen County had already received a Presidential declaration as a federal disaster area earlier.
Etheridge said the devastation wrought by Hurricane Matthew was overwhelming in some locations. In order to be eligible for a Secretarial Declaration a county’s loss assessment report must show at least a 30 percent loss in at least one commodity. Etheridge siad that most counties covered by the declaration, including Bladen, have a 30 percent or more loss in multiple commodities. Counties that are adjacent to those countries receiving the disaster declaration will also be eligible for assistance.
Etheridge said that as he spent last week touring the areas hit by Hurricane Matthew, it was painful to see the anguished looks in the faces of North Carolina’s farm families.
“This is the second year in a row that our farmers have ben faced with a washout,” said Etheridge.
He said that that the Farm Service Agency staff will do all that they can to assist those who have experienced losses.
Etheridge said the agricultural disaster declaration will help to make some low interest emergency loans available for those that meet the eligibility requirements.
He said in Bladen County crop losses included peanuts, soy beans, a variety of vegetable crops, sweet potatoes and Etheridge said there is the possibility of damage to the cotton crop. He said there were also livestock losses experienced in Bladen County.
Etheridge said that the majority of the crop losses appear to be about the same throughout the entire region, not just in Bladen County.
He said making assessments of some areas has been extremely difficult due to the flooding experienced in many locations.
Etheridge encourages farmers to go to their local FSA agency and report their losses even those that are not covered so that an accurate accounting of all of the agricultural losses can be calculated.
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