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The declaration
would enable qualified farmers in affected counties to receive
low-interest emergency loans.
Illinois had its wettest June on record this year, and July
rainfall as of Tuesday totaled 5 to 10 inches (10 to 25 cm) in
central areas of the state, roughly double the norm, according
to the State Climatologist Office.
About 40 percent of the crops in Iroquois County in east-central
Illinois, were under water at one time, Illinois Department of
Agriculture Director Philip Nelson said.
"After touring some of the hardest hit areas in the state this
week, it is noticeable that we will see considerably lower crop
yields in those areas this year," Nelson said in a statement on
Thursday.
Illinois was the No. 1 U.S. soybean producer in 2014 and No. 2
in corn production. Other key crop states hit by excessive rains
this summer include Missouri, Indiana and Ohio.
(Reporting by Julie Ingwersen; Editing by Alan Crosby)
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