The drought of 1988 hit hardest in the upper Midwest _ perhaps nowhere harder than in North Dakota. More disaster relief aid went there than to any other state. The third story in a four-part series, ``Cashing In on the Drought,'' examines how the $3.9 billion disaster aid program helped farmers most in need.
An Associated Press study of the federal $3.9 billion drought relief program shows that the aid really did help those most in need. North Dakota, the nation's most agriculturally dependent state, received $410.2 million, about 10.5 percent of the total package. The money not only helped rescue more than 49,000 farmers, it may also have kept the state afloat. The trickle-down effect of those payments reduced statewide losses to businesses, banks and households from $3.4 billion to $2.1 billion. The aid program was also critical to Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. These five states received nearly half of the allocated assistance.