Orangeburg, Bamberg County, Barwell and Allendale counties are in line to receive United States Department of Agriculture disaster assistance related to damage sustained during spring hail storms.

Bamberg County as well as Barnwell County are considered two of the four primary natural disaster area counties in the state.

Farm operators in Orangeburg and Allendale are also in line to receive assistance because the counties are contiguous the the Bamberg and Barnwell.

The disaster designation is a result of losses caused by hail storms that occurred from May 11, 2008 through May 20, 2008. The decision makes all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on August 15, 2008.

All qualified farm operators in the counties are eligible for EM loans, provided eligibility requirements are met.

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

FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

USDA has also made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.

In Orangeburg, the FSA phone number is 803-534-2409 and 803-245-4311.

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