KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports, classifieds-Missouri River farmers won't qualify for fed program

Missouri River farmers won't qualify for fed program

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KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) - Farmers whose land was inundated with Missouri River water when the deadline to apply for a federal disaster program passed will have trouble seeking a share of $215 million of aid.

The money is part of the more than $300 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding announced last week.

The problem is the deadline for applying for aid from the Emergency Watershed Protection Program was June 30, when farmland in states such as Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri was under water.

Those farmers can still get help from another USDA program, but it pays for different types of repairs and represents a smaller pool of money.

The USDA's National Resources Conservation Service says it's trying to free up money that wasn't used after other storms to help Missouri River farmers.

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