Area counties among 18 where disaster declaration is sought

Four area counties - Wadena, Cass, Crow Wing and Aitkin - are among the 18 where Gov. Tim Pawlenty is requesting an agricultural disaster be declared.

Pawlenty wrote a letter Monday to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting that an agricultural disaster be declared for Roseau, Beltrami, Pennington, Clearwater, Wilkin, Mahnomen, Becker, Pope, Hubbard, Wadena, Cass, Crow Wing, Aitkin, Itasca, St. Louis, Lake, Cook and Carlton counties in Minnesota.

Farmers in these counties have experienced significant crop losses in 2009 due to difficult growing conditions. While northeastern Minnesota counties experienced severely dry weather, several north central counties experienced cold, wet growing conditions coupled with an early frost that prematurely ended the growing season.

The Loss Assessment Reports indicated that affected farmers experienced crop losses of 30 percent or more to corn, soybeans, canola, sunflowers, flax, barley, oats, blueberries, honey, dry edible beans, rye and sugar beet crops.

The governor's letter requested that affected farmers be made eligible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's low-interest Emergency Loan program administered by the Farm Service Agency.