Farmers in the counties of Central Massachusetts affected by Hurricane Irene last month are among those eligible for federal aid under a natural disaster designation from U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the office of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
At the request of Gov. Deval Patrick, the agriculture department declared 11 Massachusetts counties to be “primary natural disaster areas.”
The designation allows eligible farmers in those areas to apply for up to $500,000 in low-interest emergency loans and assistance. Affected farmers have eight months to apply.
To be eligible, a farmer must be able to show a 30-percent production loss of at least one crop and must be able to provide collateral.
