York among counties eligible for emergency loans

Family farmers in York County are among those in 54 other counties that are eligible to apply for low interest emergency loans, due to physical and production losses caused by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred from May 22 and continuing.
The counties besides York that were declared a disaster area became eligible for disaster assistance due to a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, signed on June 20, are: Adams, Chase, Gage, Kearney, Otoe, Saunders, Blaine, Colfax, Garfield, Keya Paha, Phelps, Seward, Boone, Cuming, Gosper, Lancaster, Platte, Sherman, Boyd, Custer, Hall, Lincoln, Polk, Stanton, Brown, Dawson, Hamilton, Logan, Red Willow, Thayer, Buffalo, Douglas, Hayes, Loup, Richardson, Thomas, Burt, Fillmore, Holt, McPherson, Rock, Thurston, Butler, Frontier, Howard, Merrick, Saline, Webster, Cass, Furnas    , Jefferson, Nance and Sarpy.
Emergency loan applications are available and must be submitted through the local FSA county office from any applicant who qualifies for a physical or production loss (at least a 30 percent reduction from normal) in a single enterprise from this disaster in these counties. To qualify for an EM loan, an applicant must be an established family farm operator; provide evidence of having suffered a qualifying physical or production loss; be unable to obtain suitable credit from a source other than FSA. 
The low interest loans may cover up to 100 percent of their actual production or physical losses, to a maximum amount of $500,000. 
The loan applicants must show ability to repay the loan and the loan must be adequately secured. 
FSA loans for production losses may be used to buy feed, seed, fertilizer, livestock, or to refinance certain debts. FSA loans for physical losses may be used to repair or replace the property that was damaged or lost.  The current interest rate for the EM loans is 3.75%. 
The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 20, 2009.