US Ag secretary attends regional drought workshops

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Agriculture Department is planning a series of four regional workshops in areas hard hit by the drought to make sure farmers know about resources available to help them.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack plans to attend the first workshop on Tuesday in Omaha, Neb. The other three workshops are being planned in Pueblo, Colo., Pine Bluff, Ark., and an undetermined town in Ohio.

This summer's drought has been the worst one in decades. Experts at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln say about one-fifth of the total land area in the lower 48 states remains in extreme or exceptional drought.

The USDA is working with the Commerce Department, the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to plan these meetings.