Pawlenty asks feds to help farmers in 6 counties

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is asking the federal government to declare six northern Minnesota counties agricultural disaster areas.

The request was made Tuesday for Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Roseau and Koochiching counties.

Pawlenty says farmers in those counties have had significant losses this year because of above-average precipitation, heavy rainfall, flooding in the Red River Valley and cool temperatures.

If Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack approves the request, the federal designation would make farmers in the six counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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