OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Farmers and ranchers in several counties in Oklahoma and Arkansas are eligible for federal aid due to a disaster declaration for 213 counties in Texas.
The declaration announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture comes after what the agency calls one of the worst droughts in more than a century.
The Oklahoma counties whose farmers and ranchers are eligible are Beaver, Choctaw, Ellis, Jefferson, Roger Mills, Beckham, Cimarron, Harmon, Love, Texas, Bryan, Cotton, Jackson, McCurtain and Tillman.
The counties in Arkansas adjacent to the declared area are Little River and Miller.
Farm operators in those areas are eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency. They have eight months from the June 24 declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of actual losses.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
