MAHOMET, Ill. (AP) — A 68-year-old Kansas man is charged with shooting his 80-year-old cousin to death in an eastern Illinois farm field.

Court records indicate Gerard James of Lawrence, Kan., was charged Oct. 11 with four counts of murder in the Oct. 7 shooting death of 80-year-old Harlan James. Gerard James has not entered a plea. Champaign County court officials said he didn’t yet have an attorney.

Lt. Ed Ogle of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office said the two men argued in a field northwest of Mahomet before the shooting. The town is just west of Champaign. Ogle said the two had been involved in a long-term dispute but wouldn’t say what it was about.

Investigators say Gerard James and another family member own the field. Bond has been set at $1 million.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Haslam recently signed an executive order allowing haulers of hay to carry larger loads in their trucks, as long as they observe safety requirements. The order is in response to drought and extreme weather conditions that have left some farmers without access to hay for livestock, according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

“It’s been a tough year for farmers across the Southeast, and we want to be responsive to their needs,” Haslam said. “This order will ensure that much-needed hay can be shipped safely and without delay through Tennessee and along our major interstate corridors.”

The order increases the gross vehicle weight to 95,000 pounds, not to exceed 20,000 pounds per axle load, for semi trucks/trailers. It also increases the height of trailer loads to 13 feet, 6 inches and the width to a maximum of 14 feet during daylight hours.

The increase in width allows haulers to transport standard six- to seven-foot round hay bales side by side, increasing the capacity being hauled per truck without a permit. The executive order is in effect for 60 days.

Tennessee is a major producer of hay, ranking fifth in the nation. The USDA forecast Tennessee farmers will produce 1.9 million acres of hay this year, excluding alfalfa, for a total of 4.3 million tons.

Disaster aid available in Indiana counties

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — The USDA says 10 Indiana counties are disaster areas because of losses from heavy rains and flooding from April through July 7.

The USDA said Oct. 12 farmers in 27 adjacent Indiana counties and 11 other adjacent counties in Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio also are eligible for federal disaster aid. The 10 Indiana counties are Dearborn, Grant, Huntington, Knox, Lake, Ohio, Porter, Vigo, Wabash and Wells.

Farmers in those counties and counties adjacent are eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. They have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their losses.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A central Kentucky man is dead after his front-loader tractor flipped into the Kentucky River.

Franklin County Emergency Management Director Devon Rambo told WLEX-TV a passerby saw the equipment turned over in the water Oct. 9 and called police. The coroner said rescue workers found 61-year-old Ren Heard dead inside the plastic cab.

Rambo said Heard was working on his nursery, Lake Tree Farm, when the accident happened. He said it looks like Heard was trying to build a road to the water for irrigation. He said working near the river can be dangerous because the bank is soft and steep.

The coroner said it appeared the cause of death was drowning, but an autopsy was to be performed.

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Authorities in the bluegrass region said a 12-year-old girl has been seriously injured in a fall from a cliff. The girl fell 40-50 feet from a cliff in Jessamine County Oct. 10. Her name wasn’t immediately available.

The child was hiking with a companion on a farm when she slipped and fell, landing on a ledge, then dropped another six to eight feet, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which quoted Chief Michael Rupard of the Jessamine County Fire Department. The companion called for help on a cell phone. A helicopter took the girl to University of Kentucky Hospital. Rupard said the victim was seriously injured, but it appeared she would live.

OAKLAND, Iowa (AP) — Authorities said an 18-year-old has suffered a severe leg injury in a farming accident near Oakland in western Iowa.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. Oct. 8. Atlantic radio station KJAN reported Collin Applegate was guiding a tractor as it was backing up, but his left leg got caught between the tractor and a trailer.

Applegate was flown to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., for treatment.

WOODHULL, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a truck loaded with cattle overturned and at least five vehicles struck the animals as they ran away.

WQAD-TV reported the accident occurred at about 6 a.m. Friday on Interstate 74 in Henry County, south of Moline near the community of Woodhull. Authorities say there were approximately 30 head of cattle in the trailer.

The truck driver was taken to an area hospital, but his injuries were not immediately known. Nor was there information about whether any motorists were injured.