(Photo: WBOC)LAUREL, Del.- Farmers across Delaware are fighting drought conditions that prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate the area as a primary natural disaster area in July.
Laurel-area farmer Travis Hastings told WBOC he has been battling the lack of rainfall with irrigation.
"You've got to irrigate to grow it during the growing season," Hastings said. "You've got to irrigate to work the ground to get it just into shape, then you've got to irrigate before you plant it to have any moisture. It's just non-stop."
The primary designation opens farmers up to federal aid, in particular low-interest loans. More than 1,300 counties nationwide, devastated by searing temperatures and drought conditions, have received this designation in the 2012 growing season.
