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 been significantly affected by recent drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and monetary assistance available to assist farmers and animals producers recuperate from these unfavorable weather occasions. Impacted manufacturers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and find out more about program choices available to help in their recovery from crop, land, facilities, and animals losses and damages.

Livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered animals due to dry spell on privately owned or money rented land may be eligible for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To take part in LFP manufacturers need to own, cash or share lease, or agreement grow qualified livestock, provide pasture or grazing land to eligible livestock on the start date of the certifying dry spell, license that they suffered a grazing loss due to drought, and send 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) offers eligible manufacturers with payment for above regular costs of carrying water and feed to animals in addition to transporting livestock to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, producers are needed to finish a notification of loss and a payment application to their regional FSA office no later on than the yearly program application deadline, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.

"Once you have the ability to assess the drought effect on your operation, be sure to call your local FSA county office to prompt report all crop and livestock damages and losses," stated John Perdue, State Executive Director for FSA in West Virginia. "To speed up FSA catastrophe support, you will likely need to offer documents, such as farm records, herd inventory, invoices and images of damages or losses."

Producers who have threat defense through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA's NAP ought to report crop damage to their crop insurance representative or FSA office. If they have crop insurance, manufacturers should provide 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, except for hand-harvested crops, which ought to be reported within 72 hours.

"Crop insurance and other USDA danger management choices are used to assist manufacturers handle threat because we never understand 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 catastrophe can be an attempting time for producers, and they need to remain in close contact with their crop insurance agent. Producers can be guaranteed that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and agents are skilled and well-trained in handling these kinds of events."

FSA's Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical support to carry out emergency water conservation steps, restore fencing, get rid of debris, replace harmed 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 dry spell in future years. Through conservation planning and practices that will enhance soil health and water conservation, farmers can lower future crop loss due to drought and enhance resiliency to altering climatic conditions. Financial help for implementing preservation practices might be available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Long-term damage from dry spell can consist of forage production loss in pastures and fields and reduced crop yields on fields not protected with soil health practices. Producers can visit their local USDA Service Center to learn more about these impacts, prospective recovery strategies and how to take steps to make their land more durable to drought in the future.

"The Natural Resources Conservation Service can be an extremely important partner to help landowners with their recovery and resiliency efforts," stated Jon Bourdon, NRCS State Conservationist in West Virginia. "Our personnel will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop techniques that concentrate on effective recovery of the land."

Additional USDA catastrophe help details can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by drought. Those resources include the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance reality sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise offers an FSA educational hub with LIP and ELAP decision tools along with farm loan resource videos. For FSA and NRCS programs, manufacturers must call their regional USDA Service Center. For support with a crop insurance coverage claim, manufacturers and landowners ought to contact their crop insurance agent.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in numerous favorable ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resistant regional and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, guaranteeing access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, developing brand-new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers utilizing climate smart food and forestry practices, making historical 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 read more, visit usda.gov.