(WICHITA, Kan.) — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has granted Kansas' Governor Sam Brownback's request for the USDA to issue a drought disaster declaration for 21 Kansas counties as well as 18 contiguous counties.
“This is good news for farmers in Kansas Counties experiencing production losses caused by drought, wildfires, and high winds. I appreciate the Secretary and USDA’s quick response to my request,” Gov. Brownback said in a statement. “This is worse than previous droughts I've seen during a lifetime in agriculture. It already is affecting how farmers and ranchers are doing business – and that in turn will quickly impact local businesses and communities. It will take a great deal of time and rain to reverse the impact of this drought.”
Declaring these county agricultural disasters makes qualified farmers in both primary and contiguous counties 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 (SURE) Program.
The 21 counties included in the federal declaration are Finney, Gove, Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Lane, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas, Wallace, and Wichita.
USDA approves drought declaration for dozens of Kansas counties
The 18 contiguous counties included in the federal declaration are Cheyenne, Clark, Decatur, Ellis, Ford, Graham, Gray, Hodgeman, Norton, Pawnee, Rawlins, Rush and Trego.
Kansas farmers who may qualify for assistance are asked to contact their local FSA offices for more information.
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Original Story, May 4
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback traveled to southwest Kansas for a tour of drought-impacted areas. Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman and Kansas Water Office Director Tracy Streeter joined the governor on the tour that included Finney, Haskell, Gray and Meade Counties.
Precipitation in southwestern and western Kansas has been significantly below normal for the year. That's helped to increase the fire danger.
“Farmers and ranchers in dozens of Kansas counties are experiencing production losses caused by drought, wildfires and high winds. That's beginning to impact companies they do business with. It is important for us to see the impact first hand and talk to those directly affected," Gov. Brownback said in a statement. "We want to have a clear understanding of what’s happening and how the state can assist these communities in the coming months."
The Governor said he expects an answer in about 10 days to his request the U.S. Department of Agriculture issue a drought disaster declaration for 21 Kansas counties. In April, the Governor issued a drought warning declaration for 20 counties and put 27 surrounding counties under a drought watch.
- The 21 counties included in the Governor’s request to the USDA are: Finney, Gove, Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Lane, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas, Wallace and Wichita
- The 20 counties included in the Governor’s Drought Warning Declaration* are: Finney, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Gove, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Lane, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Scott, Seward, Stanton, Stevens, Trego, Wallace, and Wichita
- The 27 counties included in the Governor’s Drought Watch Declaration* are: Barton, Cheyenne, Clark, Cloud, Decatur, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Graham, Hodgeman, Jewel, Lincoln, Mitchell, Norton, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Rawlins, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Sherman, Sheridan, Smith, and Thomas
