The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 61 Arkansas counties as disaster areas because of last year’s drought. Financial assistance will now be available for farmers and ranchers affected by the extremely dry weather.
Counties included in the disaster declaration include: Arkansas, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Dallas, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, and Yell.
Arkansas producers will be eligible to apply for assistance from the Farm Service Agency for up to 8 months. The assistance will include emergency loans to help pay for farming and essential living expenses. Producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency Offices for more information.
