New London and Windham counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas because of the current drought, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced today that farmers from these counties, along with “designated contiguous counties” of Hartford, Middlesex and Tolland, are eligible to apply for emergency loans due to production losses from the long drought. The governor said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack notified him of the designation.
Farm operators in these primary and contiguous counties could be eligible for Farm Service Agency assistance, Lamont’s office said, which includes emergency loans. Farmers in these counties have eight months to apply for such loans.
Per Lamont’s office, the Farm Service Agency considers each emergency loan application on its own merits and takes into account production losses and the security and repayment of the farm operator.
In July, Lamont approved a recommendation by the state’s Interagency Drought Working Group to declare that all eight of the state’s counties are experiencing drought conditions after below normal rainfall. This qualification identified emerging drought events that could impact agriculture, ecosystems, and water supplies.
