Topeka – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack Tuesday requesting that the USDA issue disaster declarations for 20 additional counties in Kansas because of drought, excessive heat and high winds. The request includes Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Elk, Ellsworth, Greenwood, Labette, Linn, Lyon, Montgomery, Neosho, Pawnee, Rush, Wilson and Woodson counties. This is Gov. Brownback’s fourth drought request of the year.
Here’s more from the governor’s news release:
“The drought continues to cause a loss of production in Kansas and it is having a devastating impact on Kansas farmers and ranchers,” Gov. Brownback said. “An agricultural disaster declaration for these 20 additional counties will make them eligible for emergency loans administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, as well as any other aid that may be available through the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program approved in the 2008 farm bill.”
The Governor’s request reflects the recommendations of the Kansas State Emergency Board. County FSA offices must report at least a 30 percent production loss county wide in a crop order for a county to be recommended by the Board for disaster declaration.
“I appreciate the governor’s leadership urging the USDA to declare these disaster counties,” Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman said. “This is an example of how the state and federal government can work together to improve Kansas agriculture’s ability to adapt and recover.”
The 46 Kansas counties for which the USDA has already issued drought disaster declarations, at the recommendation of Governor Brownback in his first two requests, include:
Barber, Barton, Butler, Clark, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Kingman, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Norton, Phillips, Reno, Rice, Russell, Sedgwick, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wallace and Wichita counties.
In addition, Gov. Brownback made two disaster requests on July 27 that are pending with USDA. In the first request, Gov. Brownback sought a drought disaster declaration for Kiowa, Marion, McPherson and Pratt counties. Also on July 27, Gov. Brownback requested a disaster declaration for 10 Kansas counties experiencing production losses caused by severe weather conditions including excessive rains, high winds, hail and flooding. The ten counties included in the Governor’s severe weather request were Atchison, Clay, Doniphan, Kiowa, Leavenworth, Osborne, Pratt, Sedgwick, Wallace and Wyandotte.
Kansas farmers living in the counties under federal declarations who believe they may qualify for assistance should contact their local Farm Service Agency office for further information.
