(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rancher John Olson poses for a portrait on his Lazy H Ranch Thursday July 12, 2012. Olson says his family harvested only 200 bales of hay — compared with 1,200 last year on one field alone— in the first cutting this season. Drought, dry winds and freezing temperatures stunted the first alfalfa crop, meaning second and third cuttings also probably will be slim. (Paul Fraughton | The Salt Lake Tribune) Helicopter drops water on hot spot above Alpine July 3. Farmers and ranchers in 1,016 counties — about a third of those in the entire country on land covering half the nation — are now eligible for low-interest loans to help them weather the drought, wildfires and other disasters. (Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cattle near a small pond in the southern part of Rush Valley Thursday July 12, 2012. Sixteen drought-stricken Utah counties are among more than 1,000 in 26 states that have been declared natural-disaster areas, the biggest such declaration ever by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Because of drought conditions, 20 Utah counties have been declared disaster areas.