RICHMOND – Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward are among the 59 counties named as “primary natural disaster areas” because of the summer's drought and excessive heat.

The USDA designation, with also includes Appomattox, Amelia, Charlotte, Lunenburg and Nottoway, makes farmers in those localities eligible for low-interest loans and any supplemental relief that might be provided by Congress in the future.

The combination of drought and extreme heat greatly diminished farm production in those localities.

The disaster declarations make farm operators in both primary and contiguous areas eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the Farmville Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided they meet certain eligibility requirements.

This assistance includes FSA emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program.

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. FSA will consider each application on its own merits by taking into account the extent of the losses, security available and repayment ability.

Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with additional information.

Local boards of supervisors had adopted resolutions seeking this primary disaster status declaration.