FSA Accepting Applications for Emergency Farm Loans due to Drought

TYLER — The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting applications for emergency farm loans due to production and physical losses caused by drought dating to September 29 and continuing in Anderson, Cherokee, Henderson, Smith, and Van Zandt Counties. In a news release, Smith County Farm Loan Manager Joseph Grier asks farmers who want to apply for emergency loans to submit their applications as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is June 7, 2016, but Grier says if farmers wait too long, a backlog will develop and cause delays.

Generally, farmers who have lost 30% of their production or any physical loss due to the disaster are eligible for the emergency loans. The FSA office is located at 4209 Republic Drive in Tyler. The telephone number is (903) 561-2050 with office hours from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Go to http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov for additional information regarding Disaster Assistance Programs.