Placerville, CA – February 23, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted a Secretarial disaster designation to El Dorado County on February 4, 2015 due to the drought intensity levels experienced for many weeks in the county.
Emergency farm loans for up to a maximum of $500,000 are available for both physical and crop production losses as a direct result of the drought disaster. The loans are available to farmers and ranchers who conduct family-sized farming operations.
Agriculturalists interested in these loans can contact the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Elk Grove at (916)714-1104.
In addition, when an agricultural Secretarial disaster designation is granted, Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million are available through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster loans. Some of the businesses that may qualify for drought disaster EIDLs are small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, private nonprofit organizations and other small businesses that depend on farmers and ranchers or have been directly impacted from the disaster.
Applicants may apply for a SBA loan online using the Electronic Loan Application at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Businesses can also e-mail the SBA’s Customer Service Center at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or call (800)659-2955 for disaster loan information and application forms.
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