All counties in Illinois have now been designated as "primary disaster areas" due to drought. That's after the U.S. Department of Agriculture added counties in northern Illinois to the list.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the designations came at the request of Governor Pat Quinn, and also because of a national drought monitor that shows lack of rain plaguing the entire state. All counties have been affected by drought for at least the past 8 weeks. The designations mean all Illinois farmers are eligible for emergency loans from the feds.
"Our farmers and ranchers around the country are a resilient bunch. While it's a good deal of stress, they're not daunted or overwhelmed by this challenge. They're going to get through it with the help of their friends and neighbors and the help of U-S-D-A and other federal agencies" Vilsack said.
Vilsack is calling on the House of Representatives to finish work on the "Food Farm and Jobs bill" to help plan for the coming year.
"There's a lot of uncertainty about what the farm programs are actually going to be next year" Vilsack added.
For now he says, the federal government has exhausted virtually all immediate tools in drought assistance.
The counties added as “primary disaster areas” include DeKalb, Kane, Bureau, Will, Kendall, DuPage, Grundy, Henry, Putnam, Cook, Kankakee, Knox, Mercer, Stark.