(Des Moines, IA) -- The U.S Department of Agriculture is designating ten southern Iowa counties as “primary natural disaster” areas after spending eight weeks in severe or worse drought conditions.
The USDA says this status qualifies the counties for federal aid or emergency loans. Ten more counties were listed as “contiguous” making them also eligible for some aid by proximity.
In a letter to Governor Kim Reynolds’s office, the USDA says farmers in the eligible counties have eight months to apply for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.
The primary counties included are:
- Appanoose
- Davis
- Henry
- Jefferson
- Keokuk
- Mahaska
- Monroe
- Van Buren
- Wapello
- Washington.
The other 10 contiguous counties listed are:
- Des Moines
- Jasper
- Lee
- Lucas
- Poweshiek
- Iowa
- Johnson
- Louisa
- Marion
- Wayne