USDA Declares Ag Disaster Counties

WASHINGTON - Mar 16/05 - SNS -- The USDA designated counties in Arkansas and Texas as primary agricultural disaster areas.

In Arkansas, 40 counties were designated as primary disaster areas due to excessive rain and flooding that occurred from Oct. 1, 2004, through Nov. 30, 2004. The counties are as follows:

Arkansas   Desha        Jefferson    Marion       Pulaski
Ashley	   Drew	        Johnson	     Miller	  Saline
Chicot	   Franklin	Lafayette    Monroe	  Scott
Cleveland  Garland	Lee	     Montgomery	  Sebastian
Columbia   Grant	Lincoln	     Nevada	  Union
Conway	   Hempstead	Little River Phillips	  White
Crawford   Hot Spring	Logan	     Pope	  Woodruff
Dallas	   Jackson	Lonoke	     PrairieYell

The following counties are eligible because they are contiguous:

  Baxter	   Cleburne	Howard		Ouachita   Searcy
  Boone	   Craighead	Independence	Perry	   Sevier
  Bradley   Crittenden	Lawrence	Pike	   St. Francis
  Calhoun   Cross	Madison		Poinsett   Van Buren
  Clark	   Faulkner	Newton		Polk	   Washington

In Texas, Schleicher County was designated as a primary disaster area due to excessive rain that occurred from Oct. 1, 2004, through Nov. 30, 2004.

Also the following counties are eligible because they are contiguous:

      Concho	Irion	Menard	Tom Green
      Crockett	Kimble	Sutton