Gov. Mike Easley said yesterday that he will ask U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns for a federal disaster declaration for farmers hit by prolonged dry weather. That would allow them to apply for low-interest emergency relief loans.
Easley said that almost all of North Carolina’s 100 counties may be affected by the request.
Officials with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Farm Service Agency are finishing a survey of crop-loss data to establish which counties should be included.
Once the farm-service agency certifies data on crop losses, Easley will ask Johanns to provide federal disaster aid for farmers in counties that have at least one covered crop that is yielding 30 percent or more below normal.
State officials said this week that one of the largest expected corn crops in decades has been reduced to the lowest yield since 2002. Hay production has also been reduced to 2002 levels.

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