The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently designated an additional twelve Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought conditions. The Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.

The additional primary Georgia counties are Bartow, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, and Whitfield.

This announcement expands upon previous designations that declared nine Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas due to recent severe drought conditions.

FSA emergency loans allow producers to borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses, up to a maximum amount of $500,000. These loans assist producers in meeting their various recovery needs, including the payment of essential family living expenses, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, considering the extent of losses, ecurity available, and repayment ability.