Ponding and wet fields this spring made it almost impossible for farmers to get into the fields to plant. Because of the saturated fields Gov. Holcomb is asking for 88 counties to be declared a disaster.

Gov. Holcomb requests agricultural disaster designation for Pulaski County

Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced on July 12 that the state of Indiana is requesting a U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretarial disaster designation for 88 counties due to losses caused by flooding and excessive rain this planting season.
“Heavy and persistent rainfall has saturated fields across the state, hurting Indiana crops and our farmers,” Holcomb said. “As I continue to monitor this situation, Hoosier farmers can rest assured that we will keep a close eye on the long-term effects of these relentless rains.”
The request was made in a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and signed by Holcomb, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Indiana Farm Service Agency Executive Director Steven Brown. The letter included Pulaski County as one of the counties effected by losses. 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data shows that the past 12 months have been the wettest on record in the United States. A USDA disaster designation can be requested when at least 30% of one crop is damaged or lost in a county. Of the state’s 92 counties, 88 counties have reported data meeting that threshold.
The designation would allow emergency low-interest loans to be made available to farmers. The low-interest financing can also be made to counties contiguous to counties in the disaster zone.
The counties included in the requested designation are: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, La Porte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Saint Joseph, Scott, Spencer, Starke, Steuben, Sullivan, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, White and Whitley.

See the full story in the Pulaski County Journal, available in print and e-edition.

Pulaski County Journal

114 W. Main Street
Winamac, IN 46996

(574) 946-6628
 

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