 The USDA has accepted Illinois' application for aid and designated
55 counties as disaster areas. Another 37 nearby counties are also
eligible for the government-backed loans. The counties stretch from
Jo Daviess County in the northwestern corner to Cook County, and the
eligible areas also cover most of central and parts of southern
Illinois. Only 10 of Illinois' 102 counties are not covered by the
order from the USDA.How many farmers in those 92 counties apply
for aid remains to be seen.
Adams County Farm Bureau Manager Shawn Valter said the rains left
hit-and-miss flooding in his area.
"Some fields flooded out because there was just so much rain. But
it's really a field-by-field kind of thing. And that means the crop
loss will be field-to-field as well," he said.
Valter said some farmers didn't see much damage, while others
have already filed claims on crop insurance. He said he's not sure
how many people will apply for the USDA loans.
Carla Mudd with the Hancock County Farm Bureau said she expects a
lot of farmers to ask about the federal help. She said the summer
rains just washed out too many corn or soybean fields.
"In Hancock County we will have a lot of farmers cashing in crop
insurance," she said.
Mudd said there's talk of harvests as low as 100 bushels per
acre, down from close to 180 bushels per acre last year.
"We just won't know until the combines get out, and that won't be
for a little longer," she said.
The requests for help likely will be case-by-case.
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Annette McLane with the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau said folks
in some of her towns were hit hard by the summer storms and will
likely have the greatest need.
"A lot of the area around Elizabeth, East Dubuque and Galena saw
extreme flooding. It has never been that bad," she said.
But McLane said she expects farmers to wait for harvest to decide
how to proceed.
"A pretty large number of farmers had losses, but there's a lot
of bottom lands, so some farmers lost more than others," she said.
Farmers who believe they may qualify for disaster assistance
should contact their county Farm Service Agency office. Farm Service
Agency staff can verify whether producers have crops that are
eligible for emergency funds.
Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into
account the extent of losses, available security and an applicant's
repayment ability. The deadline to submit loan applications under
this disaster declaration is May 2, 2011.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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