Oct. 23
The home stretch
Bolls are opening in 67 percent of the U.S. cotton crop,
according to USDA's current Crop
Progress report, released Sept. 17. This is 6 percent behind the same
time last year, but 4 percent ahead of the five-year average.
Mississippi leads the Cotton Belt in crop maturity, with 95 percent of bolls opening. Louisiana is not far behind with 90 percent, but other Midsouth states are coming along a little more slowly. Arkansas has 83 percent opening, Tennessee has 76 percent and Missouri 71 percent.
In the West, Arizona has 92 percent opening, while California lags behind at 70 percent.
In the Southwest, Texas has 61 percent and Oklahoma 44 percent.
Georgia leads the South and East with 66 percent opening. Alabama and South Carolina have 50 percent each, North Carolina 45 percent and Virginia 30 percent.
Overall crop maturity does not necessarily correspond to the beginning of harvest. In Texas, 19 percent of the crop has been harvested, as of Sept. 16. Georgia growers have harvested 10 percent, Louisiana 9 percent, and Arizona 8 percent.
Mississippi growers have harvested only 4 percent, while South Carolina and Tennessee have 5 percent each. Arkansas has harvested 2 percent; Alabama and North Carolina have 1 percent each.
The late season crop condition is good across the Belt. Overall, 26 percent is listed as poor or very poor, 29 percent fair, 35 percent good and 10 percent excellent.
California appears to have the best condition by far, with 60 percent of the crop is listed as excellent and the remaining 40 percent good.
The states with the next best reports are on the opposite coast: Virginia lists 21 percent excellent and 42 percent good, and North Carolina has 14 percent excellent and 72 percent good.
Texas lists 1 percent as excellent, 21 percent good and 17 percent very poor.
Texas is still the only state reporting ginning
progress, with 608,650 bales ginned as of Sept. 1. This is some 233,000
bales less than last year at the same time, but around 50,000 bales ahead
of 1999 and 1998.
Record
production still in the forecast
The September production forecast for U.S. cotton is
20.0 million 480-pound bales, down slightly from August, but up 16 percent
from 2000, according to USDA's Sept. 14 Crop
Production report. The slight decrease is due to lower harvested acreage
expected in several of the larger cotton-producing states.
Based on Sept. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 679 pounds per harvested acre, up 9 pounds from last month. Crop condition remained fair to good throughout August, but several weeks of dry conditions led to a reduction of yield in South Carolina, while excessive moisture resulted in a yield loss in Louisiana.
Harvested acreage, at 14.1 million acres, reflects a decrease from Aug. 1 of 70,000 acres in Arkansas, 50,000 acres in Louisiana, 50,000 acres in Mississippi, 75,000 acres in North Carolina, and an increase of 45,000 acres in California.
Bigger
production, smaller use = higher stocks
USDA's latest cotton forecast for 2001-02 projects higher
U.S. ending stocks as a result of larger carryover and lower domestic mill
use, according to the September Cotton
and Wool Outlook report. With U.S. production for 2001 projected to
be a record 20 million bales -- and despite total demand estimated to be
the highest in four seasons at 17.3 million bales -- stocks are projected
to increase to 8.7 million bales, the highest since 1985-86.
Foreign production in 2001-02 is estimated at 76.2 million
bales, more than 5 million above last season and largely the result of
increased planted acreage. The projected output is the highest since the
record set in 1991-92. Foreign cotton use is expected to reach a record
84.3 million bales this season, 1.3 million higher than 2000-01. Meanwhile,
2001-02 ending stocks are projected nearly 4 percent higher than a year
ago at 34 million bales.
Springs
merges with Close
Springs Industries Inc.
has completed a recapitalization merger with the Close Family, the descendents
of the founders of Springs, and an affiliate of Heartland Industrial Partners
L.P., a private equity firm.
As a result of the merger, each outstanding share of Springs common stock held by public shareholders has been converted into the right to receive $46 in cash. The value of the recapitalization transaction, including the assumption of debt, was in excess of $1.2 billion.
Shares of Springs class A common stock has ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange as of Sept. 5.
Crandall C. Bowles remains chief executive officer of the company and she along with L.S. Close, president and chief executive officer of Sandlapper Fabrics, Robert Lee, managing director of Sheffield Merchant Banking Group, and from Heartland Industrial Partners, David Stockman, senior management director, W. Gerald McConnell, senior managing director, and Daniel P. Tredwell, senior managing director, comprise the board of directors of Springs Industries Inc.
Deere
launches Running Green site
John Deere has launched an environmental Web site called
Running
Green. According to Deere Director of Safety and Environment Ralph
Grotelueschen, the new Web site reinforces John Deere's dedication to being
good stewards of the world's land, air and water. "Through Running Green,
we hope to inform and champion John Deere's vision of making environmental
considerations a priority in sustaining life on our planet.
"Our 'green' vision encompasses product innovations, sustainable environmental management opportunities that will allow greater use of renewable materials, and efficient and safe manufacturing processes," he said.
The site includes the company's environmental vision, latest data, historical milestones, world population and productive land counters, news of recent environmental innovations, community projects and links to other environmental sites on topics including agricultural sustainability, climate change, population, precision farming, and rapidly renewable energy.
John Deere traces its environmental efforts back to the 1920s when it built its own cloth-screen filtering system to clean exhaust from plow-grinding operations. The company was an industry leader in phasing out freon in air conditioners, introducing minimum-tillage machines and mulching lawn mowers, and introducing the most significant safety innovations in farm machinery, including rollover protection structures, operator presence systems, and lighting and marking improvements.
Oct. 24
Harvest is slow going
The U.S. cotton harvest is proceeding somewhat slowly,
compared to the last few years. Harvesting was 48 percent complete as of
Oct. 21, according to the Department of Agriculture's Crop
Progress report. That is 11 percentage points behind last year at the
same time and three points behind the average for the past five years.
Most significantly behind schedule is Alabama, where 36 percent of the crop has been harvested, compared with 75 percent at the same time last year and 58 percent averaged over the last five years. Mississippi is also lagging, with 62 percent of the crop harvested compared to 93 percent last year and 84 percent averaged over the last five years.
"Wet soils delayed harvest until midweek or later across most of the Mississippi Delta and adjacent parts of the southern Great Plains and Southeast," according to the National Agricultural Summary of USDA's Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.
Oklahoma, which typically harvest later than many states, is even later this year with 26 percent of the crop harvested. Last year the crop was 58 percent harvested and the five-year average is 38 percent.
Several states are considerably ahead of last year's figure. Virginia is 24 percentage points ahead of last year, with 47 percent of the crop harvested compared to 23 percent last year and a five-year average of 30 percent. North Carolina has harvested 34 percent of its crop, with 26 percent harvested at the same time last year and 31 percent averaged over the last five years. California's crop is 40 percent harvested compared to 37 percent last year and a five-year average of 31 percent.
Gins
having to wait for the crop
The crop had ginned just over 2 million bales by the
first of October, behind all of the last three years and almost 1.3 million
bales behind last year, according to the latest Cotton
Ginnings report.
Texas, which is expected to produce 4.4 million bales, had ginned 933,850 bales or about 21 percent of its expected harvest. Mississippi has ginned 306,450 bales, some 200,000 bales fewer than at the same time last year. This accounts for about 12 percent of the state's expected crop. Overall, the ginnings amount to not quite 10 percent of the expected crop.
The next Cotton Ginnings report is due out Thursday.
RMA
announces changes to cotton crop insurance
By Kristin Danley-Greiner, AgWeb.com
USDA's Risk Management Agency plans to make some changes
in the cotton crop insurance provisions for the 2002 crop. Among the changes
communicated to the National Cotton Council,
RMA intends to update T-yields for spring 2002 crops
based largely on adjustments originally proposed. The Cotton Council had
suggested several mitigation options to offset negative impacts in areas
that have experienced extended period of adverse weather, but no substantive
changes were forthcoming from RMA. The council has recommended that the
RMA apply new T-yields only in prospective manner (2002 crop and beyond)
and replace existing T-yields in individual actual production history databases.
RMA also announced that the late-planting period will be 15 days for all regions of the U.S. Cotton Belt. A 25-day provision was previously implemented for Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, but was set at 25 days for other Cotton Belt regions.
Cotton in some counties will receive rate adjustment for the 2002-crop year based on application of normalized rate loss procedures. Under these procedures, rate adjustments are made annually for each county-crop combination to achieve compliance with target loss ratio, the council explained. Maximum rate increase or decrease for 2002 in any county is 10 percent.
In addition, the RMA indicated that a stricter enforcement
of he grazed small grain provision would be required. Under this provision,
cotton is uninsurable on acreage for which small grain crop reaches headed
stage in same calendar year, unless acreage is irrigated or adequate measures
are taken to terminate the small grain crop prior to reaching "50 percent
headed"
stage, the council noted.
Reducing residues with
enzymes
From CSIRO Media
Australian researchers believe they have found bacteria-produced
enzymes which remove pesticide residues from the environment. A recent
field trial on a cotton farm showed a 90 percent reduction of organophosphate
residues, according to entomologist Robyn Russell of the Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organization, known around the world as CSIRO.
A team of scientists from CSIRO Entomology, CSIRO Molecular Science and Orica Australia Pty. Ltd. have isolated enzymes to biodegrade organophosphates, carbaryl, many synthetic pyrethroids and endosulfan, all of which are insecticides that are used widely in agriculture.
"There's no single enzyme that will break down every one of the agrochemicals," said Russell. "Each chemical or group of chemicals needs its own enzyme. But we believe that there's a bacterium for practically every organic pollutant."
Identifying the enzyme is only the first step, said Russell. "Then it's a process of isolating the enzyme within the bacterium and cloning it into a common bacterium such as Escherichia coli, which can in turn be reproduced in large quantities. Once there is sufficient volume, the E. coli is killed off, the enzymes which have been produced by the bacterium are collected and applied to the contaminated water," she said.
"Alternatively, if the yield of enzyme is high enough, we can produce the enzyme by growing the natural bacterium from which we isolated the enzyme in the first place," she said.
The search for enzymes extends to pesticide-resistant insects and the means they use to survive insecticide applications. The team is also attempting to isolate enzymes for commonly used herbicides such as thiobencarb and molinate.
Nov. 28
Cotton
Yearbook: Record crop, stagnant consumption
The United States is not alone in expecting a record cotton crop this season. Cotton-producing countries in the entire northern hemisphere are having similar bounty, contributing to the biggest world crop in history, according to a summary of the 2001 Cotton and Wool Situation and Outlook Yearbook.
U.S. production is forecast at 3 million bales above last season, China's crop is expected to be 3.2 million bales higher, and substantially larger crops are projected in India, Central Asia and West Africa, according to the summary. Worldwide cotton consumption, however, will not keep pace with the increased output, so stocks are expected to rise, the summary says.
Highlights of the summary:
U.S. production is forecast at a record 20.2 million bales, 17 percent above the 2000 crop. The increase is the result of both greated harvested acreage area and a higher national yield. U.S. cotton planted area jumped almost 700,000 acres from 2000 to 16.2 million this season, the second largest area planted to cotton in four decades.
Abandonment reached 13 percent, compared with 16 percent in 2000. Harvested cotton area is estimated at 14.1 million acres, 1 million above last season and the highest since 1995. The national yield is projected at 685 pounds per harvested acre, the highest in five years.
In contrast, U.S. cotton mill consumption is forecast to reach only 8.1 million bales in 2001-02, 9 percent or nearly 800,000 bales below last season.
U.S. cotton stocks at the beginning of 2001-02 were estimated at 6 million bales. With the record crop forecast this season, total U.S. cotton supply in 2001-02 is projected at 26.2 million bales or 24 percent above a year ago. U.S. cotton demand is forecast to expand to 17.5 million bales, nearly 2 million above 2000-01. Ending stocks are estimated to climb to 8.7 million bales, the highest since 1985-86.
World cotton consumption in 2001-02 is forecast at 91.6 million bales, about 200,000 bales below a year earlier. Overseas mill use is expected to rise to its third consecutive record-high while the United States is forecast to undergo the largest decline in mill use of any country. The largest gains are expected in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Thailand.
In contrast with stagnant consumption, world cotton production in 2001-02 is forecast at a record 96.9 million bales, 8.5 million bales above last season. The largest increases are expected in China (3.2 million bales higher) and the United States (3 million). Increased plantings and improved weather are also expected to lead to substantially larger crops in India, Central Asia, and West Africa. Production outside the United States is forecast to be the second highest ever, 76.7 million bales. Brazil and Australia are among the few countries expected to harvest lower crops than the year before.
World cotton exports are expected to increase 7 percent in 2001-02, to 28.1 million bales, their highest since 1994-95. However, non-U.S. exports are expected to fall 5 percent to their lowest since 1983-84, 18.7 million bales. U.S. exports are projected to jump nearly 40 percent from last season to 9.4 million bales. Australia's exports are expected to be almost 800,000 bales lower than the year before in 2001-02, and smaller declines are expected from Central Asia and South America.
With rising world production and
stagnant consumption, stocks are projected to rise this season to 44.4
million bales, their highest in three years. The 5.5 million bale stock
increase is expected to be split evenly between the United States and the
rest of the world, with India accounting
for the largest increase outside
the United States. Little change is foreseen in China's ending stocks in
2001-02, in sharp contrast to the last two years.
The 2001 Cotton and Wool Situation
and Outlook Yearbook contains two special articles, titled Regional Shifts
in China's Cotton Production and Use and The Agreement on Textiles and
Clothing: Impact on U.S. Cotton. The summary
was published on the Internet Tuesday by the Economic
Research Service. The complete text of Cotton & Wool Yearbook will
be available within three to four weeks.
Harvest
benefits from November sunshine
The U.S. cotton crop was 89 percent harvested as of Nov.
25, ahead of last year's pace by 4 percentage points and 3 points ahead
of the five-year average, according to USDA's Nov. 26 Crop
Progress report. Growers across the Cotton Belt took advantage of late-season
sunshine to bring in what still promises to be a record production.
Texas, in particular, gained ground during November. Texas growers have harvested 80 percent of the state's crop, compared to 48 percent on Oct. 28. Texas growers had harvested only 69 percent by the last week of November 2000 and the five-year average is 75 percent. Texas is expected to produce 4.33 million bales this season from 4.5 million acres, according to the Nov. 9 Crop Production report.
Oklahoma, with 74 percent of the crop harvested, has the farthest to go, and in fact is 6 percentage points behind last year's pace. The state is dead even with its own five-year average, however, and picked up 33 percent during November. Oklahoma is expected to harvest 210,000 bales from some 200,000 acres.
Harvest is done in the Midsouth. Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri all report 100 percent of the crop harvested, and Tennessee has 99 percent harvested. All told, the Midsouth crop is expected to be 6.8 million bales. Mississippi is expected to account for 2.52 million bales, Arkansas 1.75 million bales, Louisiana 1.03 million bales, Missouri 650,000 and Tennessee 870,000 bales.
In the Southeast, Alabama's crop is 85 percent harvested, 11 percentage points behind last year and 8 points behind the five-year average. Acreage is up about 75,000 over last year, and the crop is expected to total 920,000 bales, nearly double last year's 543,000 bales. Georgia's crop is 90 percent harvested, 5 percentage points ahead of last year and 7 points ahead of the five-year average. Georgia's crop is expected to total 2.2 million bales, topping last year's production by more than half a million bales. Harvested area increased by 140,000 acres. Virginia is 12 percentage points ahead of last year, with 95 percent of the crop harvested, but the expected production is down about 5,000 bales and acreage is down about 4,000 acres.
In the West, California is farther along than Arizona. California has harvested 95 percent of its crop, compared to 91 percent at this time last year and a five-year average of 88 percent. Arizona has harvested 83 percent, slightly behind last year's 87 percent, but even with the five-year average. The crop in California is expected to total 2.5 million bales from 864,000 acres, both reduced slightly from the year before. Arizona is expected to produce 745,000 bales from 285,500 acres. Production is expected to be about 53,000 bales behind last year's, although harvesed acreage is expected to be up about 2,600 acres.
Ginnings
top 12.5 million bales
More than 12.5 million running bales of the 2001 U.S.
crop had been ginned as of Nov. 15, according to the USDA's Nov. 26 Cotton
Ginnings report. Production is expected to total 20.2 million standard
480-lb. bales. Ginnings are more than 1 million bales ahead of this time
last year.
Texas leads the ginning with 2.7 million bales. On the date of the survey, Texas still had approximately 23 percent of its crop to be harvested. Mississippi is next with 1.8 million bales. Mississippi had harvested 99 percent of its crop by the date of the survey. Arkansas has ginned nearly 1.5 million bales and was 99 percent finished harvesting on the date of the survey. Rounding out the list of states with more than 1 million bales ginned, California and Georgia each have just over has 1 million bales. California had picked more than 90 percent of its crop on the date of the survey, while Georgia had harvested just over 80 percent.
Plant genetics treaty approved in Rome
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Conference on Nov. 3 adopted a treaty that could limit the ability of biotechnology companies to patent plant genetic material. The International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was approved with 116 votes in favor and abstentions from the United States and Japan.
The agreement was reached at a meeting of the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in July. The commission is composed of 160 countries and the European Union. The accord was the culmination of seven years of negotiations ending in a week of debate this past summer. It was submitted for approval by member states at the commission's biennial meeting this month. The treaty will not take effect until it is ratified by at least 40 member countries.
"The legally binding International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources aims to protect the world's most important food and forage crops in an effort to safeguard global food security," according to the FAO. "The treaty seeks to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use."
According to FAO literature, "the treaty asks governments to 'take measures to protect and promote Farmers' Rights.' Such measures include protecting traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources, promoting farmers' rights to share equitably in the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources and to participate in national-level decision-making on matters related to their conservation and sustainable use."
The treaty also "ensures equitable sharing of the financial benefits resulting from the use of the plant genetic resources covered by the system," according to the FAO. "Mandatory payments will be required when commercial benefits are obtained from the use of these resources. Payments will be voluntary, however, when a commercial product derived from these resources is still available for research and plant breeding. These payments will be used for priority activities, particularly in developing countries and countries in transition."
Monsanto and Bayer did not respond to requests for explanations of how implementation of the treaty could impact the development and distribution of bioengineered seed.
FAO Commission
on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Interview
with Commission Secretary José Esquinas-Alcázar
Beltwide
pre-registration deadline is Dec. 3
Pre-registration for the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
Jan. 8-12 in Atlanta is Dec. 3. Pre-registration fee is $125 for National
Cotton Council and Cotton Foundation members, $250 for non-members and
$55 for students. You may pre-register
online or print the form and fax it to the National Cotton Council
office at (866) 807-0206.
On-site registration and badge pick-up will be available from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday and resumes Wednesday-Saturday mornings at 7:30.
The production conference is Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 9-10, beginning at 8 a.m. each day. Technical conferences are Friday-Saturday, Jan. 11-12, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
The headquarters hotel is the Marriott Marquis at 265 Peachtree Center Avenue and Harris Street in downtown Atlanta. Additional housing is at the Hyatt Regency, Peachtree and Harris streets, and the Atlanta Hilton, Courtland and Harris streets. All the hotels are in a three-block area and rooms at all three are a conference rate of $120 per night. Reservations are through the Atlanta Housing Bureau. As of Nov. 26, only the Hyatt Regency had rooms available.
The theme for the conference is "Technology, The Common Thread — Tools for Production." Highlights, according to the preliminary agenda, will include an examination of current needs from breeding programs and a look at what's in the seed development pipeline; an update on Bt cotton, a workshop on computer tools for your business; a panel on ag chem consolidation; marketing to manage risk; discussion and workshop on nematode management; and a discussion of how various cultural practices impact production costs.
More information is available on the conference Web site
at www.cotton.org/beltwide.
Springs
announces more consolidation
FORT MILL, S.C. — Springs
Industries has announced plans to merge two South Carolina facilities
and close part of a third operation. As many as 190 people could be laid
off, company officials said, although workers at those plants will have
preferred status in filling jobs that become available over the next several
months at Springs facilities elsewhere in South Carolina.
Springs will merge Eureka Plant, built in 1892, into Katherine Plant, built in 1968. Both facilities weave fabric for bedding and are located in Chester, S.C. Looms from Eureka will replace older, narrow looms at Katherine Plant.
In addition, the carding and yarn departments will be closed at Leroy Plant in Fort Lawn, S.C. The weaving operation at Leroy, which employs about 160 people, will continue.
The consolidation will begin at Leroy and Eureka on Dec. 17. Leroy will close its yarn manufacturing departments by Dec. 31. Eureka will be permanently closed by July 2002 after looms and associated jobs are transferred to Katherine.
Katherine will add about 90 jobs and eventually employ more than 700 as equipment and associates transfer over a period of several months.
"While we regret the disruption this announcement will have on our associates and their families, it is a necessary step we must take to remain competitive," said Bill Easley, president of textile manufacturing for Springs.
Springs employs approximately 6,000 people in Chester, Lancaster and York counties.
Springs brands are Wamsutta, Springmaid, Regal, Graber, Bali, Nanik and Dundee. Springs also markets bed and bath products for institutional and hospitality customers, home sewing fabrics, and baby bedding and baby apparel products. The privately held company operates facilities in 13 U.S. states and Mexico, and owns marketing and distribution subsidiaries in Canada and Mexico.
Dec.
31
ICAC:
Prices finally rising
The International Cotton Advisory Committee projects world cotton production will reach 20.9 million tons this season, a production record. Prices, however, have started what promises to be a long, slow recovery.
Production increases are expected in five out of the six largest Northern Hemisphere producers — China, the United States, India, Uzbekistan and Turkey, according to ICAC data. Output will probably decline in Pakistan.
Planting has started in the Southern Hemisphere.
In reaction to the historically low cotton prices and by more attractive returns from competing crops, cotton area is forecast to decline by 19 percent, or 550,000 hectares, to 2.4 million hectares in 2001-02 and production is expected to fall by 400,000 tons to 1.8 million tons.
World consumption is projected to slide by some 50,000 tons to 19.6 million tons in 2001-02. World ending stocks are projected to increase by 1.3 million tons to reach 9.9 million tons.
After collapsing from 66 cents per pound at the end of last year to 35 cents per pound by the end of October, (the lowest since Nov. 3, 1972), international cotton prices, as measured by the Cotlook A Index, rose 22 percent in November, climbing back to just below 43 cents per pound. Nevertheless, prices remain 41 percent below the long-term average of 72 cents per pound.
World cotton production is projected to decline by 1.2 million tons in 2002-03, to 19.6 million tons, down 6 percent from this season. Cotton consumption is projected to increase by 1.5 percent, or 300,000 tons in 2002-2003, thanks to better global economic performance, along with the positive effects of low cotton prices.
In spite of historically low cotton prices, an explosion in prices appears unlikely since rising demand will be met by supply. Consumer confidence and consumer spending in the United States will be crucial, as the U.S. is by far the largest consumer of cotton at the retail level.
However, the surging carryover in the United States, forecast to surpass 20 percent of world ending stocks at the end of next season, combined with programs encouraging production, will keep a lid on prices. Supply and demand estimates suggest that the season-average Cotlook A Index will be 46 cents per pound in 2001-02 and 49 cents per pound next season.
Texas counties, Louisiana parishes get disaster designations
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has named 50 counties in Texas as eligible for USDA emergency farm loans due to losses caused by drought that occurred earlier this year.
"Texas has experienced severe drought conditions this year," said Veneman. "Our farmers and ranchers need this assistance to recover from these natural disaster losses."
Borden, Brown, Concho, Dimmit, Duval, Gaines, Mitchell, Runnels, Tom Green, and Wilbarger counties were named as primary disaster areas Nov. 26. Also eligible because they are contiguous are Andrews, Archer, Baylor, Brooks, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Comanche, Dawson, Eastland, Fisher, Foard, Frio, Garza, Hardeman, Howard, Irion, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, La Salle, Live Oak, Lynn, McCulloch, McMullen, Martin, Maverick, Menard, Mills, Nolan, Reagan, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Sterling, Taylor, Terry, Webb, Wichita, Yoakum and Zavala Counties.
Nine Texas counties — Bee, San Patricio, Aransas, Goliad, Jim Wells, Karnes, Live Oak, Nueces and Refugio -- already were eligible from a Nov. 2 designation.
Also receiveing a disaster designation on Nov. 2 were 49 parishes in Louisiana due to losses caused by excessive rain and high humidity earlier this year.
The designated parishes are: Acadia,
Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia,
De Soto, East Carroll, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberville, Jefferson
Davis, La Salle, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee,
Rapides, Red River, Richland, St. Landry, St. Martin, Tensas, Vermilion,
Vernon, West Baton Rouge, and West Carroll. Also eligible because they
are contiguous, are Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Bienville, Calcasieu,
East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Jackson, Lafayette,
Lincoln, Sabine, St. Mary, Union,
Webster, West Feliciana and Winn.
The disaster designation makes all qualified farm operators in primary and contiguous disaster counties eligible for low-interest EM loans from the Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.
FSA has a variety of programs available, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. Interested farmers may contact their local FSA offices for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is available online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/disaster/assistance1.htm
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