Every Missouri county has been deemed eligible for agriculture disaster aid.
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Gov. Mel Carnahan announced that every Missouri county is eligible for federal disaster relief for agricultural losses suffered because of the summer drought.
Carnahan had asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman on Sept. 13 to declare all 114 counties disasters due to the hot, dry weather that plagued most of the state since early July.
“From low commodity prices to the severe heat and lack of rainfall, ti’s been a tough year for Missouri’s farmers,” Carnahan said. “That’s why I’m grateful to Secretary Glickman for the swift, positive response to our request for disaster aid. It’s a critically important first step to helping our farmers after such a devastating season.”
Statewide damage assessment reports recently completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency showed that every county either sustained losses significant enough to warrant a secretarial disaster designation or was adjacent to such a county. In fact, these reports showed at least a 50% crop loss in some areas and reduced corn yield and severe damage to soybean crops in others, Carnahan said.
The disaster declaration makes farmers in each county eligible to apply for low-interest loans. The loans can be used to restore or replace property, cover all or part of production costs this year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize farming operations and refinance debt.