Six Wyoming counties have received a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretarial disaster designation due to damages and losses caused by wildfire, allowing those impacted access to emergency loans to meet recovery needs.
In an October 1 letter, United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack designated Campbell County as a primary natural disaster area, as well as 5 contiguous counties (Converse, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan, and Weston). The designation allows the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend emergency credit to producers in those counties who are recovering from a series of large scale wildfires that have burned more than 629,000 acres in Wyoming, much of it private land. USDA continues to evaluate losses in other Wyoming counties impacted by wildfire and will expand the designation if loss determinations warrant.
“I appreciate USDA’s recognition of the incredible impacts Wyoming agriculture producers are experiencing this year due to wildfire,” Governor Gordon said. “Fire season is not over in Wyoming. We have multiple large fires still burning, with more fire weather forecast for the coming days. It is critical that we all do our part and exercise caution when working and recreating in our beautiful state.”
The State of Wyoming will continue to work closely with Wyoming FSA Director Bill Bunce and Wyoming State Conservationist Jackie Byam, whose continued support of Wyoming producers is greatly appreciated. Maximum program flexibility is essential to Wyoming producers due to the state’s variability in agriculture operations, landscapes, and impacts.
Secretary Vilsack’s letter may be found here. Additional information for affected producers can be found at local FSA and NRCS offices.
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