USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in West Virginia Impacted by Drought

Morgantown, W.V., August 20, 2024 - Agricultural operations in West Virginia have actually been substantially affected by current drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and monetary help offered to assist farmers and livestock manufacturers recover from these negative weather events. Impacted producers ought to contact their regional USDA Service Center to report losses and find out more about program choices readily available to help in their healing from crop, land, facilities, and livestock losses and damages.

Livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to dry spell on privately owned or money leased land might be eligible for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To participate in LFP producers must own, cash or share lease, or agreement grow eligible livestock, supply pasture or grazing land to eligible livestock on the beginning date of the certifying dry spell, accredit that they suffered a grazing loss due to dry spell, and submit an acreage report to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for all grazing land for which a grazing loss is being declared. FSA preserves a list of counties eligible for LFP and makes updates each Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) supplies eligible producers with compensation for above regular costs of transporting water and feed to animals in addition to transporting livestock to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, producers are needed to finish a notice of loss and a payment application to their regional FSA office no later than the annual program application deadline, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 fiscal year losses.

"Once you are able to examine the drought effect on your operation, make sure to contact your local FSA county workplace to timely report all crop and livestock damages and losses," stated John Perdue, State Executive Director for FSA in West Virginia. "To accelerate FSA catastrophe help, you will likely need to supply files, such as farm records, herd inventory, invoices and photos of damages or losses."

Producers who have risk security through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA's NAP need to report crop damage to their crop insurance coverage agent or FSA office. If they have crop insurance coverage, producers need to offer a notification of loss to their agent within 72 hours of preliminary discovery of damage and follow up in composing within 15 days.

For NAP covered crops, a Notification of Loss (CCC-576) should be submitted within 15 days of the loss emerging, other than for hand-harvested crops, which need to be reported within 72 hours.

"Crop insurance coverage and other USDA risk management options are offered to help producers handle danger due to the fact that we never ever know what nature has in store for the future," stated Alexander Sereno, Director of USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Regional Office that covers West Virgina. "Times of disaster can be a trying time for manufacturers, and they should stay in close contact with their crop insurance coverage agent. Producers can be ensured that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and representatives are knowledgeable and trained in handling these kinds of events."

FSA's Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) can help landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical support to carry out emergency water preservation measures, bring back fencing, get rid of debris, change damaged watering system, land leveling and more.

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can assist farmers make their operation more resistant in the face of drought in future years. Through preservation preparation and practices that will enhance soil health and water conservation, farmers can reduce future crop loss due to dry spell and enhance resiliency to changing climatic conditions. Financial assistance for carrying out preservation practices may be readily available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Long-term damage from drought can consist of forage production loss in pastures and fields and reduced crop yields on fields not safeguarded with soil health practices. Producers can visit their regional USDA Service Center to find out more about these impacts, possible healing strategies and how to take steps to make their land more resistant to drought in the future.

"The Natural Resources Conservation Service can be an extremely important partner to assist landowners with their recovery and resiliency efforts," stated Jon Bourdon, NRCS State Conservationist in West Virginia. "Our personnel will work individually with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop approaches that focus on reliable healing of the land."

Additional USDA catastrophe help info can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for manufacturers affected by dry spell. Those resources consist of the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance reality sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance truth sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise uses an FSA educational center with LIP and ELAP decision tools along with farm loan resource videos. For FSA and NRCS programs, producers must call their local USDA Service Center. For help with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners ought to call their crop insurance agent.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is changing America's food system with a greater focus on more durable local and regional food production, fairer markets for all manufacturers, making sure access to safe, healthy and healthy food in all communities, developing brand-new markets and streams of earnings for farmers and producers using climate wise food and forestry practices, making historical financial investments in facilities and tidy energy capabilities in rural America, and devoting to equity across the Department by getting rid of systemic barriers and developing a workforce more representative of America. To find out more, see usda.gov.