WASHINGTON, DC  -  The U.S. Department of Agriculture will declare 82 Kansas counties hit hard by drought as federal disaster areas.  Gov. Sam Brownback's office says the disaster designation, effective Thursday, makes agricultural producers eligible for federal disaster assistance for lost crops and livestock.  Primary disasters are being declared in 66 Kansas counties, and 16 neighboring counties will also receive disaster designations.
     Counties declared primary disasters are: Allen, Anderson, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Butler, Chautquaua, Cheyenne, Clark, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Edwards, Elk, Finney, Ford, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearney, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane, Linn, Logan, Lyon, McPherson, Meade, Montgomery, Morton, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Rice, Rooks, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wallace, Wichita, Wilson and Woodson.
     The contiguous counties are: Chase, Cherokee, Dickinson, Ellis, Ellsworth, Franklin, Marion, Morris, Miami, Osage, Osborne, Rush, Russell, Saline, Smith and Wabaunsee.