Times Reporter – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined a primary disaster designation for farmers and producers in Ashland, Holmes, and Tuscarawas counties due to recent excessive rain, flooding, high winds and tornadoes, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Avon Lake, announced Monday.

In addition to these three primary counties, nine other northern and east-central Ohio counties — Hancock, Harrison, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Richland, Seneca, Stark and Wayne — also were designated as contiguous disaster counties.

With this disaster designation, producers in primary and contiguous counties are eligible to be considered for assistance from the Farm Service Agency for emergency loans as well as the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program.

“This is about helping Ohio farmers whose livelihoods have affected by severe weather,” Brown said. “The USDA disaster designation is important for Ohio’s farmers and for our state’s largest industry. I encourage affected farmers in northern and east-central Ohio to contact their local Farm Service Agency office as soon as possible so that they can receive necessary assistance.”

To receive SURE payments, an eligible producer must have a qualifying loss. A qualifying loss means at least a 10 percent production loss affecting one crop of economic significance due to a disaster on a farm in a disaster county. Producers outside a declared disaster county, but with production losses greater than or equal to 50 percent of the normal production on the farm (expected revenue for all crops on the farm), also qualify for SURE.

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