Arkansas farmers who have suffered recent crop damage may already be eligible for federal assistance under a disaster declaration that has been in place since Governor Mike Beebe requested it early this summer.

"We are continuing to do whatever we can to acquire federal assistance for our farmers who are left hurting by this unusually wet year," Beebe said. "These federal low-interest loans can help keep farmers solvent as they recover from losing their source of this year's income."

In late June, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued a Secretarial Disaster Declaration covering 54 Arkansas counties for farm damage caused by spring flooding.  These counties included Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Lonoke, Miller, Monroe, Mississippi, Montgomery, Nevada, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, St. Francis, Saline, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, White, Woodruff and Yell Counties.  The declaration provides access to emergency low-interest loans for farmers.

Farmers who have suffered recent crop damage in those counties should contact their local U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center about their eligibility. 

Click here for information about those centers from the Farm Service Agency's website.

Governor Beebe has submitted an additional request for a USDA disaster declaration for 26 counties related to the most recent crop flooding. The October 9 request asks for a Secretarial Declaration in Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Conway, Cross, Desha, Faulkner, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Little River, Miller, Monroe, Perry, Phillips, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, St. Francis, Union, White, Woodruff and Yell Counties.

If the second declaration is issued, it would also cover all counties that border the 26 included in the request.

This week, the Arkansas office of the Farm Service Agency sent detailed assessments of crop damage to Washington, D.C., to support Beebe's request.

Separately, Governor Beebe declared 20 counties State disaster areas earlier this week. More declarations may be forthcoming with additional heavy rain and flooding forecast today.