Three additional counties in Wisconsin have been declared natural disaster areas due to drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Ashland, Bayfield and Douglas counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought, according to a news release from the USDA’s Ashland office. Burnett, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Washburn counties are eligible as contiguous counties. All are in northwest Wisconsin.
The designation allows the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend emergency loans to meet recovery needs. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season ranging from “exceptional” to “severe” for eight or more consecutive weeks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a disaster declaration for 18 southern Wisconsin counties because of drought conditions that started on July 4. The main counties identified were Columbia, Dane, Iowa, Jefferson and Sauk counties, with the surrounding counties also eligible under the declaration.