WASHINGTON (USDA)—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated on July 18 39 additional counties in eight states as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat. During the 2012 crop year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 1,297 counties across 29 states as disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans. The additional counties designated today are in the states of Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming. The U.S.

Join EPA for a Watershed Academy webcast on July 10, 2012, from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern time to learn more about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Water Quality Initiative.  The initiative is focusing on 157 priority watersheds in the U.S.