Franklin, Oxford among counties designated primary disaster areas.
BANGOR – Maine farmers in 13 counties who suffered 2003 crop losses as a result of excessive rain during the growing season may be eligible to receive loan assistance through the federal government.

Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford and Penobscot counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to losses caused by extreme rainfall that began June 1, 2003, and occurred throughout the growing season.

Nine additional counties are eligible for the loan program because they are contiguous to the designated counties. Those counties are Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Kennebec, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, Washington and York.

The counties were designated on March 17, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met.

Loan funds can be used to restore or replace essential property, pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the operation or refinance debt.

Farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for the loans. The agency will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Interested farmers should contact their local office for information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.