Disaster funds ready for farmers

Whitman County was named as an adjacent county in the USDA’s disaster declaration for 20 Washington counties made last Thursday, Jan. 13.

The declaration means farmers will be able to request low-interest emergency loans and direct payments under the United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payment program.

Disaster was declared because of the bad weather last spring, when excessive rain, frosts, freezes, unseasonably cold weather and high winds struck several parts of the state, Judy Olson, Farm Service Agency state executive director in Spokane, said in a pre...