The U.S. Department of Agriculture has assigned natural disaster status to Big Horn and Park Counties. An early freeze in September last year significantly damaged farms in the area.
Freezing temperatures hit crops early causing bean, corn and sunflower losses. Park County lost over $7,000,000 of crops while Big Horn County saw more than $3,000,000 of damage.
Gregor Goertz is the Wyoming Farm Service Agency’s Executive Director and says some farmers were hit harder than others.
If all he grows is beans and corns he could have lost almost all his crop.
"I think the biggest impact would be on the individual farmers and each farmer would have a different situation depending on the variety of crops that he grows," says Goertz. "If all he grows is beans and corns he could have lost almost all his crop. If he has some hay and grass seed and other things those could have helped him average out his income."
Goertz says farmers in and around the affected counties are eligible for emergency low interest loans through the Farm Service Agency to help cover losses.
