Callaway County farmers affected by the heavy rains and flooding this spring and summer now will have the ability to seek government assistance in recovering from those losses.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack granted a request from Gov. Jay Nixon to declare 23 Missouri counties - including Callaway - as primary natural disaster areas. With that declaration in place, farmers living in those counties will be able to seek financial assistance from USDA's Farm Service Agency for losses suffered due to the severe weather through emergency loans, or through the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program.
"In a year when Missouri farmers have taken several hard hits because of the weather, this disaster declaration will enable farmers in these counties severely impacted by heavy rain and flooding to obtain help," Nixon said in a press release.
Janet Bollinger, an FSA farm loan specialist, said the type of damage covered by the declaration "is somewhat tied to the designation."