NASHVILLE – Gov. Phil Bredesen has requested a designation of natural disaster for agriculture in 12 more drought-stricken counties, including Meigs, Bledsoe, McMinn and Warren counties.
Other counties in the request include Roane, Monroe, Benton, Blount, Carroll, Greene, Loudon and Weakley.
“This has been an unusual year for farmers across the state, beginning with the May flood, continuing with extreme heat during the summer and ending the growing season in a drought,” Bredesen said in a news release.
“Farmers are in a tough business made even more difficult by the uncertainty of the weather,” he said.
The state’s request was made to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. A Secretarial disaster designation would make farmers in these and adjoining counties eligible to apply for low-interest loans and supplemental farm payments through their local USDA Farm Service Agency.