U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has issued a disaster declaration that makes many farmers and ranchers in 25 South Dakota counties eligible for federal emergency loans and other assistance.

Vilsack says 10 counties qualified as disaster areas because of flooding and grasshoppers. They are Aurora, Brown, Custer, Fall River, Gregory, Hutchinson, Jackson, Marshall, Mellette and Yankton counties.

Contiguous counties that qualify include Bennett, Bon Homme, Brule, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Day, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Haakon, Hanson, Jerauld, Jones, Lyman, McCook, McPherson, Pennington, Roberts, Sanborn, Shannon, Spink, Todd, Tripp and Turner.

A previous disaster declaration helped local governments fix roads and buildings hurt by storms and flooding.