By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Federal disaster assistance is available to farmers in 81 Illinois counties to help them recover from an April freeze which destroyed wheat crops and fruit orchards throughout the state, especially in southern Illinois.

Fifty-five Illinois counties have been declared natural disaster areas by USDA, and farmers in 26 contiguous counties are also eligible for assistance, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced earlier this month. Those who sustained production losses from April 3-11 can qualify for low-interest emergency loans due to the decree.

“Losses of this magnitude certainly could cause financial hardship, especially for small operations,” Blagojevich said. “The loans that this declaration triggers can help them recover. They can be used not only to pay production costs, but also to refinance existing debt and cover essential family living expenses.”

Temperatures in the high teens and low 20s froze crops across the state in early April, following an extremely warm March that had accelerated crop development.

March temperatures, on record as the sixth-warmest since 1895, left early-budding fruit trees and wheat fields vulnerable to a prolonged freeze.

According to a press release, Illinois’ $13 million peach crop was especially hard-hit, with some orchards reporting complete losses. Winter wheat sustained damage that could cost Illinois farmers more than $30 million.

By USDA crop statistics, 17 percent of the crop, or about 160,000 planted acres, was not harvested. Most farmers turned over their wheat fields to other crops after the freeze.

Farmers and fruit growers who may qualify for disaster assistance should contact their county Farm Service Agency to verify whether they are eligible.

For a complete listing of eligible counties, see the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s website at www.agr.state.il.us