Macon Reporter

Illinois State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is alerting Champaign and Edgar County farmers about claims for emergency loans following the recent tornadoes. Four disaster declarations were issued by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack following the recent weather events.

"NOTICE: Farmers in Champaign and Edgar counties in our district have eight months from the date of the Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans," Rep. Niemerg wrote in a July 12 Facebook post. 

Vilsack issued four disaster declarations relevant to Illinois residents for drought or storm damage, a USDA press release said. The declarations apply to affected counties and are as follows: 

Designation 1: A tornado that occurred on March 31, 2023. Primary Counties: Bureau, Clark and Crawford. Contiguous Counties: Coles, Henry, Lawrence, Putnam, Stark, Cumberland, Jasper, Lee, Richland, Whiteside, Edgar, LaSalle and Marshall.

Designation Number 2: A tornado that occurred on April 4, 2023. Primary County: Fulton. Contiguous Counties: Knox, Mason, Schuyler, Warren, McDonough, Peoria and Tazewell.

Designation Number 3: Tornadoes and high winds that occurred from March 31, 2023, through April 5, 2023. Primary Counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Sangamon. Contiguous Counties: Bureau, Knox, Menard, Stark, Cass, Logan, Montgomery, Warren, Christian, Macon, Morgan, Whiteside, Henderson and Macoupin.

Designation Number 4: Drought. Primary County: Randolph. Contiguous Counties: Jackson, Monroe, Perry, St. Clair and Washington.

“Our Illinois farmers are resilient, facing uncertain weather conditions year after year. I want to thank Governor J.B. Pritzker for working with Secretary Vilsack and the USDA to ensure our farmers have the resources they need to come back after a natural disaster,” Jerry Costello II, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director, said in the press release.

Individuals who sustained damage in the counties labeled in the declarations are encouraged to contact their local USDA office to file claims for loss due to the events in those declarations. A USDA Service Center locator is available online for individuals to find their county offices.

Two offices serve Champaign County, the Champaign Service Center, 2110 W. Park Ct., Suite A, Champaign, IL 217-352-3536, and the Danville Service Center, 1905A U.S. Route 150, Danville, 217-442-8511.

Edgar County residents can go to the Paris Service Center at 11759 Illinois Highway 1, Paris, 217-465-5325. They can also contact the Sullivan Service Center in Sullivan, the Charleston Service Center in Charleston and the Effingham Service Center in Effingham.