WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA has designated 49 counties in Ohio as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, flooding, flash flooding, high winds, excessive heat and tornadoes that occurred Feb. 2-July 31.

Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties also qualify for natural disaster assistance. In addition, those in the following counties or parishes in Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

Indiana: Adams, Allen, Dearborn, Franklin, Jay and Union; Kentucky: Boone, Boyd, Campbell, Greenup, Kenton, Lewis and Mason; and Michigan: Lenawee and Monroe.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Sept. 7, making all qualified farm operators in those areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information; also, visit http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said inspections to assess an Ohio River bridge closed after cracks were found in two support beams will take at least three weeks, as engineers scour the nearly 50-year-old span for more structural faults.

Daniels ordered the Sherman-Minton Bridge that links New Albany, Ind., and Louisville, Ky., closed for an indefinite period Friday, a day after the cracks were discovered. The governor said during a Saturday briefing in New Albany it will take engineers at least three weeks to inspect the span for more structural faults and determine how to repair them.

He said the additional work will give officials a better idea of how long it may take to repair the bridge. Indiana is the lead state for maintenance on the bridge.

HAMILTON, Mich. (AP) — A judge said a western Michigan farm violated federal law by selling cows for slaughter with illegal levels of antibiotics.

Judge Gordon Quist ruled in favor of regulators who said Scenic View Dairy in Allegan County repeatedly ignored warnings about selling the cows for human consumption. Quist didn’t order a penalty and said he doesn’t want to put Scenic View out of business. The judge told the farm and the government to come up with an agreement by the end of September.

Scenic View’s primary business is milk, but about 70 cows a week are sent to slaughter for human consumption. The farm claimed there are exceptions to the government’s drug rules. But the judge said they don’t fit.

EAU CLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — Twenty-six former school buses used for hauling watermelons in southwestern Michigan have been vandalized, authorities said.

Brake lines were cut on all of the buses used by Kerlikowske Family Farms, The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reported. The buses for the farm based in Berrien County’s Oronoko Township haul watermelons to an Eau Claire processing facility.

Bus keys also were stolen. Ed Kerlikowske, one of the farm owners, said the vandalism was discovered Sept. 7 during a pre-trip inspection. The damage was estimated at $3,500-$5,000.

Police are investigating, and Eau Claire police Chief Charles Sherene said the vandalism was the biggest crime of the summer in his jurisdiction. He said it’s the first time there’s been such a problem with the buses. “Somebody knew what they were doing,” Sherene said.

Kerlikowske Family Farms has been buying and converting old school buses for use hauling watermelons for about nine years. The buses can hold about 1,000 watermelons each and are used to haul from fields in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. The buses are being repaired to handle the watermelon harvest.

Driver escapes injury when car hits cow in Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are warning drivers to watch out for livestock wandering onto the highways after a driver escaped injury when she hit a cow in northeastern Iowa.

The Gazette in Cedar Rapids reported the Fayette County sheriff’s office said 18-year-old Miranda Steinbronn of Westgate hit the cow early Thursday near Westgate. Her car ended up in a ditch. The cow was killed.

Chief Deputy Jim Davis said it’s not uncommon for livestock to get loose in rural Iowa, and sometimes they wander onto the road. He said an accident involving a cow or a horse happens about five times a year.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Police have detonated a Civil War-era cannonball a northeastern Indiana farmer had inside his barn for around 50 years.

The cannonball’s explosion Sept. 7 at Allen County’s police shooting range sent up a large plume of smoke. The Journal Gazette reported the 6-inch diameter cannonball filled with gunpowder, a fuse and lead balls was buried about 2 feet down and covered with sandbags but was nearly completely disintegrated in the blast.

Fort Wayne police Sgt. Greg Stier said the Corunna farmer had been trying to sell the 150-year-old relic to collectors before realizing it was still explosive. The cannonball’s origin is unknown, since no Civil War battles were fought in northeastern Indiana.