The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 61 drought-stricken Arkansas counties as disaster areas, making farmers and ranchers eligible for natural-disaster assistance.
Agricultural officials said Wednesday that the designation makes farmers and ranchers in the counties eligible for the Farm Service Agency's emergency loans as well as other assistance programs. Farmers have eight months to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.
Counties designated as disaster areas are:
• Arkansas; Ashley; Baxter; Boone; Bradley; Calhoun; Carroll; Clark; Clay; Cleburne; Cleveland; Columbia; Conway; Crawford; Dallas; Drew;
• Faulkner; Franklin; Fulton; Garland; Grant; Greene; Hempstead; Hot Spring; Howard; Independence; Izard; Jefferson; Johnson; Lafayette; Lawrence;
• Lincoln; Little River; Logan; Lonoke; Madison; Marion; Miller; Montgomery; Nevada; Newton; Ouachita; Perry; Pike; Polk; Pope;
• Prairie; Pulaski; Randolph; Saline; Scott; Searcy; Sebastian; Sevier; Sharp; Stone; Union; Van Buren; Washington; White and Yell.
Farmers and ranchers in contiguous counties also qualify for natural-disaster assistance. Those counties are Benton, Chicot; Craighead; Desha; Jackson; Monroe; Phillips and Woodruff.
The National Weather Service said much of northern, Northwest and west-central Arkansas is abnormally dry and that a small portion of northern Arkansas is experiencing moderate drought.
Forecasters said rainfall in February that led to widespread flooding erased drought conditions in other parts of the state.
State Desk on 03/15/2018