US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has declared Marion County and 41 other Iowa Counties as disaster areas because of the drought. It’s not limited to Iowa either, half of all counties in the entire country have been named agricultural disaster areas. The USDA has also announced that farmers will be able to pay their 2012 crop insurance premiums up to 30 days late without being charged a penalty. According to the latest USDA Drought Monitor, Marion County along with most of Iowa, is still under a severe drought. Eastern portions of Iowa are now in an extreme drought.