Federal agriculture authorities have declared disaster areas in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee due to crop losses from a combination of severe spring and fall flooding and summer drought.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the declaration will “provide help to hundreds of farmers who suffered significant production losses to a wide variety of crops.”

The declaration qualifies many farmers in the designated areas for low interest emergency loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.

The primary disaster areas are in 79 Mississippi counties and contiguous counties and parishes in the other states.