Alfalfa Winterkill Makes Area Farmers Eligible For Emergency Loans

Calumet, Sheboygan and Washington counties are among ten counties in the state that have been designated disaster areas due to losses to winterkill and late freezes that hit alfalfa fields especially hard in the first five months of the year. Farmers in those counties and 13 adjacent counties, which include Dodge, Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties, may be eligible for assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency in the form of emergency loans. The losses stemmed mainly from the lack of snow cover, which insulates plants from freeze damage, this past winter. Alfalfa is a perennial plant that regrows from the roots every year, and snow insulates and protects the plants from cold damage.