Local farmers may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency since Warren County is one of the contiguous counties declared an agricultural disaster area.Dozen of Missouri counties were designated disaster areas on Jan. 21, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Loans for physical losses must be used to replace or repair damage to buildings, fences or to compensate the farmer for losses of basic livestock, stored crops, or supplies on hand, equipment, etc., that was lost due to the disaster. Loans for production losses may also be used to buy feed, seed, fertilizer, livestock or to make payments on real estate or chattel debts. Generally, loans for production losses cannot be approved until crops have completed their production cycle or have been harvested.In order to qualify, a farmer must have suffered a 30 percent loss in production or an actual physical loss that was essential to the successful operation of the farm.For more information, call the Monroe County FSA office at 636-327-4137 or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.USDA / FSA