Drought map from last week.
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture has designed two more southern Iowa counties as disaster areas, due to drought conditions.
A week ago, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue declared drought-striken Davis County a “primary natural disaster area.” Now, he’s giving Appanoose and Van Buren Counties the same designation.
Farmers in those counties may be eligible for emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. The loans may be used to reorganize or refinance debts or even to acquire livestock to replace animals sold off during the drought. Loan applications under this latest disaster declaration for Van Buren and Appanoose Counties are due by April 8th of next year.
Producers in contiguous counties in Iowa and Missouri are also eligible to apply for these emergency loans if drought conditions are causing hardship on their farms. A week ago, the U.S.D.A acted to make farmers in five other southern Iowa counties hit by two years of drought eligible for these emergency loans.
USDA’s 8/22/18 declaration for farmers in Van Buren and Appanoose Counties also made farmers in Davis, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Monroe, Wapello and Wayne Counties eligible for USDA disaster loans.
USDA’s 8/15/18 declaration for Missouri farmers affected by drought on two separate occasions made farmers in Decatur, Page, Ringgold, Taylor and Wayne Counties eligible for USDA disaster loans.
USDA’s 8/15/18 declaration naming Davis County a primary natural disaster area also made farmers in Appanoose, Jefferson, Monroe, Van Buren and Wapello Counties eligible for USDA emergency loans.