Platte County declared primary natural disaster area

Lisa Phelps
Posted 10/23/24

WHEATLAND – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last Tuesday it was expanding the number of counties in Wyoming designated as primary natural disaster areas as a result of …

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Platte County declared primary natural disaster area

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WHEATLAND – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last Tuesday it was expanding the number of counties in Wyoming designated as primary natural disaster areas as a result of wildfire.
In a letter responding to a September request by Wyoming governor Mark Gordon, USDA secretary Thomas J. Vilsack said the USDA’s Loss Assessment Reports “determined there were sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation.” Additionally, Vilsack named several counties to a list of contiguous disaster counties.
The primary counties are Albany, Converse, Crook, Goshen, Hot Springs, Johnson, Platte, Sheridan, and Weston; the contiguous counties are Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Fremont, Laramie, Natrona, Niobrara, Park and Washakie.

The governor had previously requested the primary disaster designation for “all counties in Wyoming due to damages and losses from wildfires occurring from June 11, 2024, and continuing.”
Governor Mark Gordon’s office issued a press release that said, “[W]ildfires have now burned more than 810,000 acres in Wyoming in 2024, much of it private land.”
“I am grateful USDA has recognized the size and scope of the impacts these wildfires are having on Wyoming’s agriculture producers,” Governor Gordon said. The governor will also seek additional funding from the Wyoming Legislature in his supplemental budget, since the $39 million set aside this summer for the two-year Emergency Fire Suppression Account (EFSA) has already been used.
For small and large agriculture operations in Platte County, the designation opens up funding for emergency loan assistance programs from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). The loans can meet various recovery needs including replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts, with an application period through May 23, 2025.
Additionally, in September it was announced Platte County was also declared primary disaster areas for drought, triggered on July 30, 2024. The drought declaration was made because the U.S. Drought Monitor showed an extreme drought occurrence during the growing season one or more areas in the county. This declaration also opens federal funding for the livestock forage program, through Jan. 30, 2025.
Producers do have to meet eligibility requirements for emergency assistance. For more information programs, or to determine if you meet the criteria to qualify, contact your local FSA office at 1502 Progress Court in Wheatland, or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/wy.