Area farmers eligible for disaster assistance

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently approved a request from Gov. Jay Nixon to provide assistance through its Farm Service Agency to farmers in the designated Missouri counties who have suffered losses to crops and property as a result of excessive heat and drought July 1-Aug. 30, according to a news release from the governor's office. 

Primary disaster counties are considered those that lost at least 30 percent of the estimated yield of a single crop, or where individual farmers suffered production losses of more than 30 percent.

Through the USDA's Farm Service Agency, qualified farmers are eligible for emergency loans or assistance from the federal Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program. More information is available on the Farm Service Agency Web site.