By Stephen Smoot
Pendleton County last week moved from D2 to D3 in drought classification, but according to some farmers, serious damage has already occurred.
Steve Conrad, director of the Pendleton County Farm Bureau, noted that severe conditions have potentially brought significant damage to the corn crop in Fort Seybert and other areas. He also explained that the current Bermuda High weather system established over the Atlantic Ocean through much of this summer will likely continue to pump hotter air into the region from southerly and southwesterly prevailing winds.
The coming of a tropical event such as a hurricane may bring badly needed rain, but the damage might not be correctable at this point.
Farmers from across the county have struggled with the challenges posed by the ninth driest June in 130 years of record keeping. Though the year has seen more rain so far than most others, that precipitation petered out during the essential growth period for most crops.
“He’s on the right track,” says Circleville cattle farmer Zac Smith. “The corn crop, from what I’m seeing, is not doing well. It’s one half of what it should be.” He went on to explain that “as soon as the corn goes to head, it’s not going to expand anymore lengthwise.”
Smith predicted in many areas of the region “a 50 percent yield or less.”
He also stated that he has observed a correlation between warmer temperatures forcing cattle to find shade and an uptick of cases where a plethora of ticks have caused serious health problems in his livestock.
Jessica Hoover, one of Pendleton County’s West Virginia University Extension agents, shared that the WVU Extension website has a “Quick Guide to Drought Management” page that offers important information. The page features “a check list of best management practices for managing cattle through a drought.” It includes advice on animal and pasture resource management, such as “do not over-graze pastures during a drought” and business advice, like “Sell older and lower quality (e.g., performance, behavior) cows before prices drop.”
Another must for farmers in drought conditions lies in maintaining accurate records. Long-term and serious drought conditions may trigger aid for farmers and applications will require specific information.
Through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, significantly damaging drought conditions may trigger the deployment of a series of aid programs. The first category of aid programs addresses the needs of livestock farmers. Four programs, the Livestock Forage Disaster program, Livestock Indemnity Program, Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm Raised Fish, and Emergency Livestock Relief, could be made available should conditions persist.
FSA also has two loan package programs, an emergency program to help conserve water during drought conditions, and a noninsured disaster assistance program for crop losses.
It is important to note that these programs have not yet been offered as of the time of this writing and no guarantee exists at this point that they will be.
One assistance package has already become available, however. The West Virginia Conservation Agency has a cost-share program available to assist farmers with “livestock experiencing hardship due to drought conditions.” The program exists “to help supply water to livestock” with eligible equipment such as “portable water tanks, associated valves and fittings, water pumps, portable pipeline, and portable water troughs.”
The program kicks in when a county or area hits a condition of D1 moderate drought or higher. Currently all of Pendleton County is in a D3 status.
According to the federal website drought.gov. Pendleton County has 16,728 acres of hay in drought, 4,588 acres of haylage, 1,897 acres of corn, 11,261 cattle, and 4,221 sheep battling the hot and dry conditions.
