The USDA has designated Cole County and 100 other counties in Missouri as natural disaster areas because of losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred between July 1 and Aug. 30.
Other area counties falling in this designation include Morgan, Osage, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Maries, Miller and Moniteau.
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration, Oct. 17, to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.
Each loan application will be considered on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. A variety of programs are available to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.
Additional information is also available online at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.