By Stephen Smoot
Even as rains fell to mitigate somewhat, if not end the drought, programs to assist local farmers have been rolled out.
Last week, the Potomac Valley Conservation District announced a cost-sharing program from the state conservation agency to help farmers with 50 percent of the cost of watering equipment up to $500.
Governor Jim Justice shortly thereafter shared a relief program from his office. The announcement stated that the Emergency Drought Relief Reimbursement Grant Program “will provide financial assistance, in the form of reimbursement of eligible and reasonable expenses, to state, regional, county, and municipal agencies, including fire departments, that are providing assistance to maintain necessary irrigation and livestock water supplies.”
Assistance can be applied to counties officially declared as being in D2 drought status on the federal D0 to D4 scale, with D4 as the most serious. Pendleton County has seen D3 conditions for over a month.
Those local governments or agencies may submit applications to Krista Cox at krista.k.cox@wv.gov.
Andrea Landis, Pendleton County Director for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, shared that they also have a relief program related to the drought – the Livestock Forage Disaster Program.
According to the federal government website disasterassistance.gov, the program “offers payments to eligible livestock producers with eligible livestock. You must also be a producer of grazed foraged crop acreage.”
It goes on to state that “payments help producers with grazing losses suffered on native or improved pastureland due to a qualifying drought.” Landis said that payments are based on the number of grazing acres.
Pendleton County’s D3 drought status renders farmers here eligible.
Landis shared that many have already submitted crop reports and that those who have not will need to pay a $31 fee to do so.
Brooke Alt from the West Virginia University Extension Service stated that her office had fielded numerous calls with questions about drought relief, but urged those with questions to contact Landis.
Heavy rains ranged in different parts of the county between two and six inches in the past week. Despite this help, according to the federal website Drought.gov, Pendleton County remains in D3 drought status.
Rainfall, however, has returned local rivers to at least normal flow, with the South Fork currently “much above” normal levels for this time of year.
Drought conditions are, however, expected to improve by the end of the month. The damage has been significant. Brad Smith, Grant County’s WVU Extension agent, told West Virginia Metro News’s Chris Lawrence that “late corn” never got a chance to germinate and that most farms in the region have no expectation of a second cutting of hay.
