Press Room

Montrose County Receives Disaster Designation

Tuesday, August 24 2010

Sen. Whitehead thanks Gov Ritter and U.S. Ag. Secretary for quick action

MONTROSE—Today, disaster aid was made available to Montrose County and surrounding counties as a result of extreme weather that occurred earlier this year which devastated the sweet cherry crop in the area. Senator Bruce Whitehead (D-Hesperus) thanked Governor Bill Ritter and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for taking steps to secure aid to affected farmers.

“I want to thank Governor Ritter and Secretary Vilsack for their quick action to provide disaster assistance to farmers whose crops were devastated by severe weather,” said Sen. Whitehead. “Farmers provide significant benefit to our state, and we must take action when they experience such an overwhelming loss.”

During the last weeks for April 2010, Montrose County experienced freezing weather that destroyer nearly 100% of the sweet cherry crop. Montrose was designated a primary disaster area while Delta, Gunnison, Mesa, Ouray, and San Miguel counties were listed as contiguous disaster counties.

According to the letter from Secretary Vilsack, “Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for assistance from the FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program.”

The disaster designation, dated August 20, makes farm operators eligible to apply to the Farm Service Agency, an office of the USDA, for assistance and loans. Producers should call their local FSA office for more information. Producers may visit www.fsa.usda.gov for more information, or to locate a local office, visit the local FSA office finder.