Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman has named two Wyoming counties drought disaster areas, making them eligible for federal assistance, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

Carbon and Laramie counties have been named contiguous natural disaster areas because they neighbor Colorado, which was recently designated by Veneman as a primary disaster area.

Farmers and ranchers in these contiguous counties are eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Eligibility for an FSA loan is based on the extent of loss, security available and repayment availability.

"In comparison to recent years, most of Wyoming has been rather fortunate this year in the amount of moisture we have received. However, we need to be mindful that it will take a lot more moisture than what we've had to pull us out of this drought. I hope these loans will be helpful to ranchers that are still trying to recover from the hard times that mark the past few years," said Enzi.

For more information please contact local FSA offices in Carbon County at 307-326-5657 and in Laramie County at 307-772-2314.