RICHMOND – The majority of Virginia’s localities are under either a drought advisory watch or warning.
According to a recent Drought Advisory Declaration from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, 12 counties are under a drought advisory warning and 95 counties and cities are under a drought watch.
The declaration was issued to advise Virginians in the affected areas to prepare for a potential drought. While recent rainfall has helped in some areas, it has not alleviated conditions for farmers in many areas across the commonwealth, especially in the Shenandoah and Northern Virginia regions.
A drought or severe drought designation is initiated by local U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency offices and approved by the U.S. secretary of agriculture. This type of designation enables farmers in the affected counties to be eligible for certain assistance from FSA. Farmers in the counties and cities that are contiguous to the primary drought declaration counties also are eligible to apply for the same emergency assistance.
This assistance includes FSA emergency loans. When eligibility requirements are met, the FSA will assess each emergency loan application individually and will consider specific circumstances and needs. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.
The Virginia drought declaration is different from a USDA disaster designation. As conditions warrant, the USDA may issue a natural disaster designation for localities.
This is the second consecutive year that farmers have experienced drought conditions across much of Virginia with over 60 localities receiving a USDA disaster designation last year, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Farmers affected by drought conditions are relying on irrigation to keep their crops growing, but that can be a costly endeavor.
“The corn and soybeans are really affected by this drought,” shared David Hickman, owner of Dublin Farms in Accomack County and a Virginia Farm Bureau Federation board member. “The parts of the farm that aren’t irrigated are going to have low yields.” The farm relies on surface ponds for water supply, so without some rainfall, that source is limited.
“Our potatoes are the most valuable crop, so we’ll irrigate the potatoes, and what water is left over will be put on the farm,” Hickman said.
John Cromwell, owner of Cromwell’s Produce in Virginia Beach, said even growing with irrigation can be a struggle.
“Almost anybody will tell you irrigation can be as much a problem as it is a solution––moving the pipes and keeping everything running. But we’ve been able to keep it going,” he shared.
“Droughts can severely impact agriculture by reducing crop and forage yields, and lead to additional cost for feed, watering and destocking livestock,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. “Droughts also reduce growth in our forest and increase the risks of forest fires. We can all take steps to help our farmers by conserving water and buying local. We can also help protect our forests by adhering to burn bans and putting out campfires.”
In addition to the USDA disaster designation, the federal agency has a variety of other programs to assist farmers who may suffer from natural disasters. Virginia Cooperative Extension also has resources to help before, during and after emergency situations. Farmers should contact their local Extension office to access information that may improve the drought resilience of their operations.
For farmers who may need to sell or buy extra hay due to drought conditions, VDACS hosts a Hay Clearing House through its Division of Marketing.
