Georgia counties named natural disaster areas for drought | Environment

COLUMBUS, GA - Drought in Georgia has gotten so bad that several counties in Georgia have been named natural disaster areas.

Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack has announced that all 29 counties within the Second Congressional District of Georgia have been named primary or contiguous to natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. In accordance with the designation, farm operators in primary counties and contiguous counties are now eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for the next eight months.

Baker, Bibb, Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dooley, Daugherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Macon, Marion, Mitchell, Muscogee, Peach, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Terrell, and Webster counties have been designated as primary affected counties. Miller and Seminole counties have been designated contiguous disaster counties.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 92 Georgia counties have suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of (1) D2 (Drought-Severe) for eight or more consecutive weeks; or (2) D3 (Drought-Extreme) or D4 (Drought-Exceptional).

To learn more about FSA disaster assistance loans for farmers, please click here.