USDA declares disaster in 20 counties

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 20 counties in Mississippi as natural disaster areas because of losses caused by flooding that occurred in May and June.

The counties are Adams, Jefferson, Tunica, Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren, Claiborne, Hinds, Tate, Coahoma, Humphreys, Washington, Copiah, Lincoln, Wilkinson, DeSoto, Panola, Yazoo, Franklin and Quitman.

The USDA says farm operators would be eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency provided eligibility requirements are met.

Farmers would have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.