28 July 2004
Governor seeks USDA disaster declaration for Meade County for crop production losses
Governor Kathleen Sebelius today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman asking that she designate Meade County a disaster area so agricultural producers in that county will become eligible for low-interest loans.
“Drought conditions and a late-season freeze in Meade County caused crop production losses significant enough to warrant that it be designated a disaster area,” Sebelius said. “It’s one of many counties affected by adverse weather this year.”
The secretarial disaster designation will make qualified farm operators in the designated county, and counties contiguous to it, eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
In June, Sebelius asked that 34 western Kansas counties be declared disaster areas due to ongoing drought:
| Cheyenne | Decatur | Ellis | Finney | Gove | Graham | Grant |
| Greeley | Hamilton | Haskell | Hodgman | Jewell | Kearny | Lane |
| Logan | Mitchell | Morton | Ness | Norton | Osborne | Phillips |
| Rawlins | Rooks | Russell | Scott | Seward | Sheridan | Sherman |
| Stanton | Stevens | Trego | Thomas | Wallace | Wichita |
Also in June, Sebelius requested that seven counties be designated disaster areas for damage due to hail, high winds, tornadoes, excessive rain or flooding in April and May:
| Barber | Cloud | Cowley | Geary | Harper | Republic | Sumner |
More information about drought in Kansas is available at www.accesskansas.org/kda/droughtinfo.htm.
