The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 17 New York counties as primary natural disaster areas due to freeze and frost last year.

Producers in who suffered losses caused by recent natural disasters may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans. The natural disaster designations allow FSA to extend emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.

Producers in Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Cortland, Niagara, Ontario, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins and Wayne counties who suffered losses caused by freeze and frost that occurred April 1 through June 1, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Producers in the contiguous counties listed below are also eligible to apply for emergency loans:

¯ New York: Allegany, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, Orleans, Steuben, Tioga, Wyoming and Yates

¯ Pennsylvania: McKean, Susquehanna, Warren and Wayne

Producers in Erie County who suffered losses due to frost that occurred May 8 through May 9, 2020, may be eligible for emergency loans. Producers in the contiguous New York counties of Cattaraugus, Genesee, Niagara and Wyoming are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for emergency loans under this designation is Sept. 15, 2021. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.