The United States Department of Agriculture Wednesday declared 53 Indiana counties as primary disaster areas due to damages sustained and crop losses caused by the extreme amounts of rain and flooding experienced since May 1.

 “Our hearts go out to those Indiana farmers affected by recent natural disasters,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We’re also telling Indiana producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.”

Mother Nature dumped buckets of rain on Central Indiana early and often during the season, but by mid-summer, the precipitation supply simply shut off. The early rain left root systems shallow, and with no way to reach the moisture deep in the soil, crops withered in the late summer heat.

“It sounds crazy, and I get that,” Howard County, Indiana Purdue Extension director Paul Marcellino said. “But, because of the shallow rooting the crops have to have it. This is when the crops need the most water, right now. We could’ve gotten a lot less rain earlier and gotten by fine. But, now we really need it.”

A disaster declaration is typically sought when counties begin to meet or exceed a 30 percent loss of crops. A press release sent out on July 31 regarding the state’s request for the USDA said 50 counties in Indiana have experienced such a loss at this point.

“Farms in counties all across the state have suffered because of the excessive rainfall we’ve experienced during our spring and summer months this year,” said Gov. Mike Pence, noting that he hopes “those affected will apply for the loans they need.”

Under the secretarial disaster declaration, low-interest emergency loans are available to all producers suffering losses in the 53 counties for which the secretarial disaster declaration has been approved, as well as in affected contiguous counties.

In addition, the USDA designated 34 other Indiana other counties which qualify for natural disaster assistance because they are contiguous to counties where a disaster has been declared.

Details for this story were provided by the Kokomo, (Ind.) Tribune.