(Washington, D.C.)—A new disaster declaration issued this (Wed.) afternoon by U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack affects farmers in a number of counties in northwest Iowa.
Counties in our area affected by this (Wed.) declaration are Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Humboldt, Ida, O’Brien, Osceola and Pocahontas. Farmers in counties contiguous to those are also eligible. Locally, those counties are Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Plymouth, and Sioux.
A statement issued in the declaration states that counties identified in it have experienced severe drought conditions for eight or more consecutive weeks, with some counties experiencing extreme drought conditions at some point.
Producers in both primary and contiguous counties should contact their local FSA offices for additional information. Farmers who seek to graze or harvest forage from Conservation Reserve Program acres, including expanded acreage such as wetlands and waterways announced today (Wed.) should also check with their local FSA office.
