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Sebelius seeks disaster designation for drought-stressed countiesKansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter today to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer asking that he declare five western Kansas counties agricultural disaster areas due to ongoing drought and high winds. "Our farmers and ranchers out west have been struggling with drought compounded by high winds for several months," Sebelius said. "It's taking a toll on grain crops and forage, and some livestock owners have had to reduce or sell off entire herds because of poor grassland growth." The counties are Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Morton and Stevens, which currently rank on the U.S. Drought Monitor as experiencing extreme drought. With a secretarial disaster designation from Schafer, farmers and ranchers will be eligible for low-interest loans, plus any aid that may become available under the permanent disaster program in the recently passed farm bill. "I understand that USDA still has some work ahead figuring out how to implement the new disaster program, but our farmers need help recovering from the severe impact weather has had on crop and livestock production," Sebelius said. If the drought persists, Sebelius says she expects to make more disaster designation requests as crop losses mount and ranchers sell off more livestock due to poor or inadequate forage. 7/14/08 Date: 7/10/08
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