FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2006, 1:15 p.m. CT

(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman received word that U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has designated an additional 34 Nebraska counties as disaster areas due to the ongoing drought. Secretary Johanns approved the designations following the Governor’s request due to losses caused by drought conditions and other severe weather so far this year.

“I am very pleased that Secretary Johanns has approved these new disaster designations,” Gov. Heineman said. “Nebraska has been particularly hard hit this year, evident by the fact that the drought has now impacted every county in our state. Despite the help provided by recent rains, they came too late to help most pasture and crop land. These designations provide producers with additional options to mitigate the impact the drought has had on their operations.”

The following 34 counties qualify as primary drought disaster areas: Adams, Antelope, Boone, Burt, Butler, Cedar, Clay, Colfax, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Fillmore, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lancaster, Madison, Merrick, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Pawnee, Pierce, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Wayne, and York.

The disaster declaration certifies that these counties have suffered at least a 30 percent loss in one or more crop or livestock areas. Producers in designated counties who meet eligibility requirements may access to low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. The designation also provides tax-deferment options for producers forced to sell livestock.

Due to proximity to drought-affected areas, producers in nearby counties will also have access to low-interest loans. The following nine counties have been designated as contiguous disaster areas: Cass, Cuming, Douglas, Gage, Otoe, Platte, Polk, Sarpy, and Washington. Nance County was granted a contiguous declaration in July. Several counties in neighboring states were also given contiguous disaster status due to their proximity to disaster designated counties in Nebraska.

These additional designations mean that all of the state’s 93 counties have qualified as drought disaster areas, including 83 counties listed as primary disaster areas and a total of 10 contiguous counties.

More information on drought programs is available online at http://www.droughtcentral.org.