WASHINGTON, D.C. – After months of severe drought in Southeast Missouri, farmers can finally look forward to some relief. U.S. Senators Christopher “Kit” Bond and Claire McCaskill announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture designated 22 counties in the state of Missouri as primary natural disaster areas and an additional eight neighboring counties as contiguous disaster counties. Farmers in all 30 counties are eligible for disaster relief assistance in the form of low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

“Farming is the heart of Missouri’s economy and this drought has made a significant impact on Missouri agriculture and jobs,” said Bond. “It is my hope that this assistance will help to bring much needed relief to Missouri’s many farming families.”

“This drought has had a devastating effect on the rural communities throughout Southeast Missouri. I’m so pleased that farm families will finally be able to get some much-needed assistance to help them survive such extensive losses,” said McCaskill.

Counties receiving the USDA’s primary disaster area designation are: Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Jefferson, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Washington, and Wayne.

Contiguous counties included are: Crawford, Dent, Douglas, Franklin, Ozark, Shannon, St. Louis, and Texas.

To qualify as a primary disaster area, a county must experience a 30 percent or more loss in crop or livestock production. A contiguous county is one located next to a primary county. Farmers in both primary and contiguous counties can apply for FSA loans at any point during the eight months following the point of designation.