The federal government has added 11 Minnesota counties to the list designated earlier this month as a federal ag disaster area, prompted by high winds, hail, excessive rain and snow, flash flooding and drought in 2019. The additional counties are: Cottonwood, Grant, Jackson, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Nobles, Norman, Roseau, Stevens and Traverse. Producers in those counties will be able to apply for assistance, including emergency loans, from the federal Farm Service Agency. Governor Tim Walz says he’s encouraged the USDA has stepped up its response to the severity of last year’s weather events.