Federal officials have acknowledged what Montanans have known for a while—it is dry here in the state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 10 counties in Montana as primary natural disaster areas due to drought, according to a May 20 news release from Gov. Greg Gianforte.
The counties are: Beaverhead, Cascade, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Madison, Pondera, Teton and Toole .
USDA Undersecretary Brooke Appleton notified Gianforte in a letter that the disaster designation makes farm operators eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance, provided certain requirements were met.
The USDA also designated eleven counties contiguous to the 10 primary counties and they may also qualify for federal aid. They are: Blaine, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Meagher, Ravalli and Silver Bow.
Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for the emergency loans.
