USDA: Missouri Farmers Now Eligible for Financial Assistance

Jan 11, 2013

U.S Department of Agriculture Declares 31 Counties in Missouri under Natural Disaster

The U.S Department of Agriculture has officially acknowledged that 31 Missouri state counties are under a natural disaster declaration. The declaration comes as the much of the state suffered devastating drought conditions in 2012, leaving farmers with little hope of a decent crop.

According to state Governor Jay Nixon, this official declaration means that farmers can now get emergency loans and other forms of assistance through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Again, this disaster aid is only available to farmers in the 31 affected counties.

The following list provides some guidance on what the emergency loan funding will cover:

•    Restore or replace essential property
•    Pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year
•    Pay essential family living expenses
•    Reorganize the farming operation
•    Refinance certain debts, excluding real estate

Emergency loans issued by the USDA are set at a maximum of $500,000. For more information on the USDA disaster assistance program, please visit the Farm Service Agency website.

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.