By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare 14 counties in central Missouri agricultural disaster areas due to last year's severe winter storms.
Poultry farms were the hardest hit.
Brooding barns collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice leaving farmers with losses expected to reach into the millions.
Missouri Farmers Union director Russ Kremer said disaster relief is a necessary first step to help farmers rebuild and have some hope of meeting supply contracts for urban markets.
"For instance Osage county, my county, we're within two hours of St. Louis," Kremer said. "It could raise the price of poultry and I'm sure that it will."
If approved by the USDA, Missouri farmers could have access to low interest loans to help recoup losses to buildings and livestock.