Nixon requests federal ag aid for drought

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon has asked the federal government to declare 114 Missouri counties agriculture disaster areas because of drought conditions.

Nixon's office says in a release that if the counties are designated as agriculture disasters, farmers in those counties would be able to receive assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency. The federal aid would also include emergency loans for losses to crops and livestock from the ongoing drought.

A recent assessment from the Farm Service Agency found that the 114 Missouri counties met the disaster threshold.

Drought conditions have been persisting across most of Missouri. High temperatures, low humidity and a lack of snow last fall and winter have contributed to the difficult conditions for Missouri farmers and ranchers.