Gov. Eric Holcomb asked the United States Department of Agriculture Friday to designate 88 counties as disaster zones. To be able to request a county be designated an agricultural disaster area, at least 30 percent of a single crop must be damaged or lost.
Many farmers across the state were only able to plant a portion of their crops after a wet planting season caused fields to flood.
Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron says he applauds the governor’s effort to help Hoosier farmers.
“He realizes the magnitude of what’s happened here this spring, because it’s here, in Indiana it’s been unprecedented, says Kron. “My 35 years of farming, I've never seen anything like this.”
Four counties were not included in the request: Benton, Rush, Shelby and Warren. They were left out because they did not meet the threshold for damaged or lost crops.
If counties receive approval, farmers in that county and neighboring ones may have access to emergency low-interest loans.