Farmers and ranchers in Livingston County may qualify for natural disaster assistance if they encountered agricultural damage caused by a frost in May.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a release declaring Livingston, Ingham, and Jackson counties as natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by frost and freeze that occurred May 7th through the 9th of this year. Several other counties will qualify for assistance as well because they are contiguous.

All qualified farm operators in the designated areas are eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency 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. Farmers who suffered at least 30 percent loss in crop production or physical livestock can borrow money to cover up to 100 percent of production or crop losses up to $500,000. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Additional information about the FSA’s emergency loan program and eligibility requirements can be found at the link below.