April and May are typically the driest months in Florida. But South Florida crop consultant Gene McAvoy said conditions are dire even for this time of the year.
“We haven’t had a drought like this in 20 years, at least,” McAvoy said. “We didn’t have much of a rainy season. It’s really impacting citrus. You do irrigate trees, but you’re only irrigating a small percentage of your root zone. We’re seeing a lot of fruit drop in citrus.”
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most parts of Florida are currently under severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions.
In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 61 Florida counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought. This allows USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.
The application deadline is Dec. 10. To file a notice of loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact a local USDA Service Center.
Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential equipment, reorganization of a farming operation or refinancing certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
PRIMARY COUNTIES ELIGIBLE:
Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton and Washington
CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES ALSO ELIGIBLE:
Florida: Escambia, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Osceola and Seminole
Alabama: Covington,Escambia, Geneva and Houston
Georgia: Brooks, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Decatur, Echols, Grady, Lowndes, Seminole, Thomas and Ware
Sources: USDA FSA
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