Sixteen drought-stricken Utah counties been declared natural-disaster areas, the biggest such declaration ever by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The action makes farmers and ranchers eligible for low-interest loans to help them weather the drought, wildfires and other disasters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday.
Utah’s remaining 13 counties are considered to be so close to the natural disaster areas that they also are impacted, and eligible for emergency loans.
About $39 million is available under the program nationwide. But Mike McCandless, economic development director for Emery County, said drought and wildfires have brought so much devastation to ranchers that his county alone could use up a sizeable chunk of the money.
Wildfires recently scorched 50,000 acres in Emery and Carbon counties, burning up summer grazing pastures. On top of that, drought in the San Rafael Swell of south-central Utah forced ranchers to remove their cattle from the desert range in early June — rather than September or October during normal years. Now, ranchers are feeding hundreds of head of cattle hay that’s typically reserved for December. Salt
Lake Tribune
