Governor Phil Bredesen’s request for federal farm assistance for five East and Middle Tennessee counties, including Lawrence County received USDA approval this week. Bredesen made the request Dec. 21 based on crop and livestock damages from extreme heat and dry conditions this growing season in some areas of the state.

“I am pleased that USDA has granted this request and recognizes the difficult situation many of our farmers faced this past year,” said Bredesen. “Hopefully, those who need access to financial assistance will be able to mitigate their losses and begin planning for the upcoming growing season.”

The five counties designated as natural disaster areas for agriculture are Hancock, Hawkins, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne. The decision makes qualified farm operators in designated and adjacent counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

In all, 41 Tennessee counties have been designated natural disaster areas for agriculture due to this past summer’s drought conditions. A request made Jan. 9 for Macon County is pending review by the federal agency.

Farmers in the primary designated counties reported losses of 40 to 60 percent for major crops including corn, cotton, hay, soybeans, tobacco and produce. Many livestock farmers were forced to supplement pastures with stored feed and hay this past summer.

According to the Tennessee Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, cooler temperatures and rainfall late in the growing season helped improve overall crop and pasture conditions. However, variability of rainfall from area to area at critical stages of crop development adversely impacted many individual farmers this past summer.

For more information about low-interest emergency loans and other possible assistance, farmers should contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency office. For more information about this past year’s harvest and the latest farm statistics, visit the Tennessee Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service online at www.nass.usda.gov/tn.