The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Butler, Chase, Cowley, Ellsworth, Harvey, McPherson, Marion, Morris, Rush and Saline counties in Kansas as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought.
Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties in Kansas also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties are: Barton, Chautauqua, Dickinson, Elk, Ellis, Geary, Greenwood, Lincoln, Lyon, Ness, Ottawa, Pawnee, Reno, Rice, Russell, Sedgwick, Sumner and Wabaunsee.
Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties of Kay and Osage in Oklahoma also qualify for natural disaster assistance.
Qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA’s) emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration of March 30, to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)