Changes to Emergency Loans, Crop Insurance Provides More Help to Producers Affected by Drought

U.S. livestock and crop producers affected by the drought are receiving more help from the government. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will file special provisions with the federal crop insurance program to allow haying or grazing of cover crops without impacting the insurability of planted 2013 spring crops, a move that can help provide much needed forage and feed this fall and winter for livestock producers. The Secretary also modified emergency loans, allowing them to be made earlier in the season to help livestock producers to offset increased feed costs and help those who have liquidated herds. The announcement comes as USDA designates an additional 33 counties in eight states as natural disaster areas, with 23 of those counties named due to drought. A total of 1,692 counties across the United States have been named a disaster area due to drought during this crop season. Learn more.