Federal disaster help approved for 37 Iowa Counties

The U-S Ag Secretary has approved federal disaster help for farmers in 37 Iowa counties. The aid is to help cover the financial impact of the drought-conditions which have plagued parts of the state. Farmers in drought-striken counties may now apply for low-interest federal loans to cover any physical losses. In a dozen of the designated counties, farmers may qualify for new “Livestock Compensation Payments” that amount to about $18 a head for beef cattle and $31.50 a head for dairy cattle. Payments are also available to the handful of farmers who raise buffalo, beefalo, goats and sheep. Farmers should contact their local Farm Service Agency office for details. The 18 primary counties which qualify for the disaster designation are Adams, Aubudon, Cass, Clay, Decatur, Dickinson, Fremont, Harrison, Lyon, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, O’Brien, Page, Palo Alto, Pottawattamie, Shelby and Taylor. Farmers in 19 contiguous counties may also qualify. Those contiguous counties are Adair, Buena Vista, Carroll, Cherokee, Clarke, Crawford, Emmet, Guthrie, Humbolt, Ida, Kossuth, Lucas, Osceola, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Ringgold, Sioux, Union and Wayne. Livestock producers in the following 12 counties may qualify for the “compensation payments”: Lyon, O’Brien, Palo Alto, Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, Pottawattamie, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Adams and Fremont.