Getting your player ready...
DENVER—Gov. John Hickenlooper is seeking federal drought aid for three southeastern Colorado counties.
Hickenlooper said Thursday that he has sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting aid for Baca, Crowley and Otero counties. The letter says the counties are struggling with significant drought, which has destroyed grain crops and forage for livestock.
A federal declaration that the counties are primary drought disaster areas would allow farmers and ranchers to apply for emergency loans if they can’t obtain credit elsewhere. The designation would also help ranchers who can’t find pasture for their cattle by allowing them to sell all or part of their herd without having to pay capital gains taxes for five years.
