The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 24 Utah counties as natural disaster areas because of drought, wildfires and flash floods this year.

The declaration allows farmers and ranchers to apply for low-interest emergency loans and to take advantage of any disaster programs approved by Congress this year, according to a news release Thursday from Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah.

USDA Secretary Mike Johanns sent a letter Tuesday to Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. saying the governor's request for the disaster-area designations had been granted for the 24 counties. Those counties are: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Washington and Weber.

Huntsman had included Wasatch County in his disaster declaration of July 27 and had requested disaster assistance for it as well as the other counties, but Johanns said the department was "unable to confirm that sufficient production losses occurred in Wasatch County" for it to be designated a natural disaster area.

The letter says disasters that would make counties eligible for federal relief money could include severe drought, insect infestations, killing frosts, hot dry winds, below-normal runoff, wildfires and flash floods.

Bennett said he was pleased that Johanns had quickly responded to Huntsman's request for the disaster designations.

"Farmers and ranchers affected by the severe drought will now have access to low-interest emergency loans that will help cover losses inflicted during this period of record high temperatures," Bennett said.

Huntsman wrote to Johanns on July 27 to request the designation. The governor noted that Utah and several other states have repeatedly suffered extreme or exceptional drought conditions.

Many of the state's 29 counties were struck by "insect infestations, killing frosts, hot dry winds, low runoff and drought conditions and fires," Huntsman wrote. "Utah recently experienced the largest wildfire in its history." That blaze was the Milford Flat wildfire in Millard County, which scorched more than 363,000 acres this summer.

In addition, some areas have experienced flash flooding, and the "very low snowpack in our mountains," plus exceptionally dry soil, have resulted in poor runoff, the governor noted.

Huntsman said the U.S. Department of Agriculture's State Emergency Board estimates the resulting financial loss to Utah agriculture is nearly $141 million.

According to the USDA's official Drought Monitor, nearly all of Utah is classified as experiencing severe drought. The exception is a narrow band along the Colorado border designated as having moderate drought.

Moderate drought means there is some damage to crops, pastures, streams, reservoirs and wells; water shortages are developing or imminent, and voluntary water-use restrictions are requested. Severe drought is classified by the USDA as meaning that crop or pasture losses are likely, water shortages are common, and water restrictions are imposed.

The year 2004 was the last year of a six-year drought in Utah. But this year brought the return of drought conditions, according to federal experts.

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com