The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated five counties in Tennessee as primary natural disaster areas due to heavy rainfall that began last Sept. 1 and continues.
They are Claiborne, Cocke, Rutherford, Sevier and Union.
Farmers and ranchers in 16 contiguous counties also qualify for federal assistance: Anderson; Cannon; Greene; Knox; Bedford; Coffee; Hamblen; Marshall; Blount; Davidson; Hancock; Williamson; Campbell; Grainger; Jefferson; and Wilson.
Qualified farm operators in the counties become eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.