Flood disaster relief efforts, New York Farm Bureau

Farms across New York have been hard hit by the recent storms and flooding that have occurred. Below are some links and information dealing with various flood relief efforts. We will be updating this page as information becomes available.

New York Farm Bureau is working hard to obtain support for those farms that have been impacted by the disaster and we are here to provide any assistance possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Additional Farmers now eligible for emergency loan assistance

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 5:43 PM EDT
Washington and Warren counties have been declared eligible for Farm Service Agency disaster emergency loan assistance effective July 7 due to damage and losses caused by severe storms and flooding June 26 through July 10.

Family farmers who have suffered the loss of at least 30 percent of their production or suffered qualifying physical losses due to severe storms and flooding conditions may be eligible for FSA loans.

Losses must be supported with documented records.

Under the FSA emergency loan programs, farmers may be eligible for production loss loans of up to 100 percent of their actual losses, or the operating loan amount needed to stay in business, or a maximum principal balance outstanding of $500,000, whichever is less.

Farmers must be unable to obtain credit from private, commercial lenders.
http://adsys.townnews.com/c61794802/creative/poststar.com/news+in-story/45432.gif?r=http://www.cooperscavefcu.com/ASP/home.asp http://adsys.townnews.com/c61794802/creative/poststar.com/news+in-story/45432.gif?r=http://www.cooperscavefcu.com/ASP/home.aspThe interest rate for emergency loans in 3.75 percent.

Applications for loans under this emergency designation will be accepted until March 7, 2007. The FSA is located at 2530 State Route 40, Greenwich, NY. The office can be reached at 692-9940, ext. 2.

IRS information on disaster issues and taxes

The IRS has two special publications to assist people through the maze of tax paperwork associated with disaster reporting. One is intended for individuals. The other is written for businesses. More information on both of these publications and links to the actual documents can be found by clicking here.

Grant Status Check

If farms have applied for state assistance grants and wish to know the status, the various agencies have set up numbers for people to contact. Senator Jim Seward has posted many of these numbers on his website: http://www.senatorjimseward.com/press_archive_story.asp?id=14525

DMV waives some fees in flood counties

For vehicle registration documents that were damaged or lost in the flood, Governor Pataki has issued an executive order removing the fees for replacement. Read the press release: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/06/0714062.html

NYFB discusses loans with SBA

New York Farm Bureau received confirmation that disaster assistance loans from the Small Business Administration are available for certain qualifying farms. At this point we are encouraging farms in need of funding, especially dairy farms, to apply for these grants. More information is available by calling 1-800-659-2955.

Farm Bureau requests disaster assistance from Congress-Read the letter and the press release here.

The Department of Agriculture & Markets has consolidated much of the necessary information on Disaster Assistance on their web page. This includes links on FSA, Department of Labor and FEMA grants. It can be accessed at www.agmkt.state.ny.us/flood.html.

If you have had stream bank damage, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that a general permit for routine repairs of stream damage caused by the record June flooding has been issued for the following counties: Orange, Sullivan and Ulster in DEC Region 3; Montgomery, Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie in DEC Region 4; Oneida and Herkimer in Region 6; and Broome, Chenango, Cortland, and Tioga in DEC Region 7. Under this permit, DEC staff will visit the farm and issue an emergency authorization. DEC MUST be notified prior to beginning any stream work.

Region 3: Environmental Permits at (845) 256-3054 or visit the DEC Region 3 office at 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561 to obtain an application form.

Region 4: Environmental Permits at (518) 357-2069 or visit the DEC Region 4 office at 1150 North Westcott Road, Schenectady, NY 12306 to obtain an application form.

Region 6: Environmental Permits, Joe Homburger, at (315) 793-2554; or visit the DEC Region 6 office at 207 Genesee St., Utica, NY 13501 to obtain an application form.

Region 7: Environmental Permits at (315) 426-7438; or visit the DEC Region 7 office at 615 Erie Boulevard West, Syracuse, NY 13204 to obtain an application form.

Soil & Water is obtaining estimates of damage done to farm conservation practices and structures. Farms are encouraged to contact their Soil & Water District office to provide damage estimates. Contact information for District offices can be found at www.agmkt.state.ny.us/SoilWater/contacts/county_offices.html.

The Department of Tax & Finance has delayed deadlines for the filing of certain taxes within some of the flood counties. For more specifics, visit www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/notices/n06_7.pdf.

Senators seek flood assistance for farmers
Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton Wednesday called upon the secretary of Agriculture to release funds for critical programs that will provide much-needed relief for New York farmers hard hit by recent flooding. The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency recently released agricultural damage estimates that show over 200,000 acres were affected and over $30.8 million were lost in damage to farmland, buildings and crops.

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