More counties including Blaine added as primary drought disaster areas

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack added more counties including Blaine County to the rapidly growing list of Montana counties declared as drought disaster areas.

Some of the counties are being added as primary disaster areas when producers there already were eligible for USDA disaster benefits as counties contiguous to primary disaster areas — including Blaine County — or now are included as contiguous counties when they already were primary disaster areas, such as Hill County.

Ag producers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Wedn...