Governor Bredesen requested a federal designation of natural disaster for agriculture for 16 counties across Tn. as a result of excessive rain and flooding that occurred in September and October.
“A disaster designation will help make federal assistance available to
farmers who experienced significant crop losses due to heavy rains and
flooding this fall,” said Gov. Bredesen. “I’m glad to make this request and hope it will help lessen the impact of the damage that has been
sustained during harvest.”
Gov. Bredesen made the request this week in a letter to U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The 16 counties include: Bradley, Chester,
Cumberland, Hamilton, Hardeman, Lauderdale, Macon, McMinn, McNairy,
Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Shelby, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson.
A disaster designation would make farmers in these and adjoining
counties eligible to apply for assistance through their local USDA
Farm Service Agency. Qualifying farmers are eligible for emergency
loans and supplemental farm payments as provided by the Food,
Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.
Farmers in these counties have reported crop losses ranging from 10 to 50 percent for major commodities including corn, soybeans, cotton and
tobacco. Some counties have reported receiving record rainfall of as
much as 10 to 12 inches during what are normally the driest months of
the year.
Although USDA is projecting significantly higher yields for most major Tn. crops as compared to the previous two drought years, the
heavy rains and flooding have hurt yields and contributed to quality
losses including rotting, mold and other disease problems. Vegetable
growers in the Cumberland Plateau and East Tennessee regions have also
reported unseasonably cool temperatures that have compounded moisture problems in green beans, squash, pumpkins and other specialty crops.
Statewide, harvest for most crops are three to four weeks behind the
five-year average due to the unusually wet weather according to the
Tennessee Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics
Service.
For the latest crop forecast and a weekly report on crop
conditions across the state, visit www.nass.usda.gov/tn. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture makes this report available each Monday at 3
p.m., April through November.