US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and SBA provide disaster designations due to agricultural losses caused by the freeze that occurred from April 11, 2022, through April 12, 2022

On November 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted a Secretarial disaster designation for the primary counties of Butte, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Tehama, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba and the contiguous counties of Alpine, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Lake, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Mono, Napa, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Trinity.

The designation makes USDA assistance available in the form of emergency farm loans for both physical and crop production losses as a direct result of the disaster, up to a maximum of $500,000. The application deadline is July 5, 2023, and assistance is available to farmers and ranchers who conduct family-sized farming operations.

To apply: Contact the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Ukiah at 707-468-9223. Hearing-impaired individuals should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600.

Additional information can be found at the USDA website: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/index

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is also making Economic Injury Disaster Loans available pursuant to the USDA disaster designation. The SBA application deadline is also July 5, 2023, and assistance is available to small, non-farm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and most private non-profit organizations of any size. Small businesses include those that do business directly with the growers, such as truckers and suppliers of agricultural equipment or services.

To apply: Contact SBA at 1-800-659-2955, or visit SBA’s website at: www.sba.gov/disaster, or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Hearing-impaired individuals may call 1-800-877-8339.

*Please note this disaster designation is separate from the previously announced designation for the freeze impacting Mendocino County from February 21-28, 2022, with separate applications and deadlines.

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