Most of Oklahoma declared disaster area because of drought

76 of Oklahoma's 77 counties have been declared a disaster area by the U.S. Department of Agriculture because of the ongoing drought.

The declaration means farmers in the affected counties can apply for low-interest loans of 2.15 percent.

In Oklahoma — only Ottawa County is not a primary disaster area — but farmers there are also eligible because the county is contiguous to those in the primary disaster declaration.

The 47 of 75 Arkansas counties that are primary disaster areas are in the northwestern two-thirds of the state and farmers in counties contiguous to those counties are also eligible for federal assistance.

A total of 597 counties in 14 states are classified as primary natural disaster areas in the declaration.