The number of Nebraska cattle that died in last month's heat wave has grown to 3,800.

The Farm Service Agency's Tim Reimer said Monday that he'd received reports of significant cattle deaths from 23 counties in the eastern third of the state.

The numbers are up from the roughly 2,100 deaths reported in eight counties last week.

Reimer says the FSA will likely issue a disaster declaration to allow cattle producers in affected counties to obtain low-interest loans.

The deaths all happened around June 22 when temperatures reached the mid 90s and humidity levels spiked.

The heat was especially hard on cattle because it followed an unusually cool period this spring. The quick change in temperatures meant the cattle didn't have a chance to acclimate.