Douglas County farmers may be eligible for emergency aid

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Farmers in 16 Minnesota counties – and possibly those in Douglas County – will be eligible for emergency loans and other help after dealing with multiple weather problems.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday announced the farmers, mostly in northern Minnesota, are due federal aid because their farms have sustained excessive rain, flooding, frost and cold.

“Many farm operations are already struggling with low farm prices, and these weather disasters have made it even harder for them to operate,” Senator Al Franken, D-Minnesota, said.

“Farmers in these counties were faced with many different types of challenges that damaged crop production,” Governor Tim Pawlenty said. “This agricultural disaster designation and federal assistance will help farm operators who suffered losses this fall.”

Counties in the disaster declaration are Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Lake, Mahnomen, Pope, St. Louis, Wadena and Wilkin.

Farmers in adjoining counties, such as Douglas County, also may receive federal assistance, and those in Pennington and Roseau counties were declared disaster areas last fall.

Federal officials said they will decide on a case-by-case basis what farmers are eligible for aid. Local Farm Services Administration offices are farmers’ points of contact. In Douglas County, the number is (320) 763-3191.

Aid usually consists of low-interest loans.

Pawlenty requested the disaster declaration on January 11, telling Vilsack that significant weather-related crop losses were reported in 2009.

Minnesota’s northern counties experienced a variety of weather, ranging from near drought in the northeast to cold and wet growing conditions in the north central to flooding in the northwest.

Pawlenty’s office said farmers in the affected counties lost at least 30 percent of their corn, soybeans, canola, sunflowers, flax, barley, oats, blueberries, honey, dry edible beans, rye and sugar beet crops. 

Tags: douglas county, farm, agriculture, farmers, farming