Drought 2012: USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack Recommends Disaster Designation for Johnson, Other Iowa Counties

Hold on farmers. Some federal assistance could be on the way.

It's been a summer where a severe drought and high temperatures has led to counties with than banner crops across the state. In response, Tom Vilsack, the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, has designated 42 Iowa counties, including Johnson County, as primary natural disaster areas due to the recent drought's affect on crops.

In a letter in response to Gov. Terry Branstad's request for aid on July 16, Vilsack stated that this means that farmers can seek assistance from the federal Farm Services Agency, including securing emergency loans to make ends meet.

Gov. Branstad released a statement in response to Vilsack's decision.

“In response to my letter, the Lt. Governor and I would like to thank Secretary Vilsack for the USDA’s recent drought declaration of several Iowa counties. This drought has had a significant impact on Iowa agriculture and the farmers who work hard every day to feed a growing world population. This disaster designation will provide affected Iowans with additional resources during these difficult times."

You can read Vilsack's release with the full list of affected counties in the PDF attached to this article.