Fifteen Missouri counties are included in an agriculture disaster declaration and USDA officials will decide if more should be added. FSA Administrator Val Dolcini says discussions will begin immediately.
“I’m going to be meeting with my Missouri State Executive Director. I want to talk to him about the local conditions on the ground there and what more we can do,” said Dolcini. “We’ve got to the bottom of the extent of the disaster and how it’s impacted farmers in Missouri.”
Excessive rain and flooding earlier this summer led to the declaration. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack made the designation, allowing farmers in the affected counties to qualify for low-interest loans and other federal assistance. Affected farmers can contact their local Farm Service Agency office for more information.
The 15 counties included under the designation are Cape Girardeau, Clark, Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Mississippi, Perry, Pike, Ralls, St. Charles, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis and Scott, as well as St. Louis City.