(CNN) -- The U.S. Agriculture Department cited drought and heat on Wednesday in designating 597 counties in 14 states as primary natural disaster areas. "As drought persists, USDA will continue to partner with producers to see them through longer-term recovery, while taking the swift actions needed to help farmers and ranchers prepare their land and operations for the upcoming planting season," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. The designations make qualified farmers in the areas eligible for low-interest loans, the agency said. Affected counties have suffered severe drought for eight consecutive weeks, which qualified them for the automatic designation.
@highlight
NEW: "This is the worst drought I've ever seen," says 62-year-old Missouri farmer
@highlight
The designations make farmers eligible for low-interest loans
@highlight
Help kicks in automatically after eight consecutive weeks of severe drought
@highlight
597 counties in 14 states are designated primary natural disaster areas
Drought shriveled crops across the farm belt, leading to an expected rise in food prices in 2013, according to @placeholder.