Much of northeast Indiana is now in extreme drought, according to the map released Thursday morning by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The impact could be immediate, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture is streamlining the process for farmers to apply for government disaster help as crops in many states burn up in the widest drought in nearly 25 years.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says more than 1,000 counties nationwide will automatically qualify for disaster assistance if they're in a severe drought for at least eight weeks or were in extreme drought this growing season.
All of Whitley, Noble, Kosciusko and Wabash counties are in extreme drought. Large parts of Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Steuben and Huntington counties also are in extreme drought.
The department also is lowering the interest rate on emergency loans to 2.25 percent from 3.75 percent. As much as $39 million is available under the program.
