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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 impacted by recent dry spell. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and monetary assistance readily available to help farmers and livestock manufacturers recuperate from these negative weather events. Impacted manufacturers need to call their regional USDA Service Center to report losses and find out more about program alternatives offered to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and animals losses and damages.

Livestock manufacturers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to dry spell on privately owned or cash rented land may be eligible for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To take part in LFP producers must own, money or share lease, or contract grow qualified animals, offer pasture or grazing land to eligible livestock on the beginning date of the qualifying dry spell, certify 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 claimed. FSA keeps 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 manufacturers with settlement for above typical costs of hauling water and feed to livestock in addition to carrying livestock to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, manufacturers are required to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their regional FSA office no behind the annual program application deadline, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.

"Once you have the ability to assess the drought influence on your operation, make certain to contact your regional FSA county office to timely report all crop and livestock damages and losses," said John Perdue, State Executive Director for FSA in West Virginia. "To accelerate FSA disaster help, you will likely require to provide files, such as farm records, herd inventory, receipts and photos of damages or losses."

Producers who have threat protection through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA's NAP ought to report crop damage to their crop insurance agent or FSA office. If they have crop insurance, producers need to supply a notice of loss to their agent within 72 hours of preliminary discovery of damage and follow up in writing within 15 days.

For NAP covered crops, a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) need to 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 risk management alternatives are used to assist producers handle risk since we never know what nature has in store for the future," said 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 ought to remain in close contact with their crop insurance representative. Producers can be assured that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and agents are knowledgeable and well-trained in dealing with 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 help to implement emergency situation water preservation procedures, restore fencing, eliminate debris, change harmed watering system, land leveling and more.

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can assist farmers make their operation more durable in the face of drought in future years. Through preservation planning and practices that will improve soil health and water conservation, farmers can reduce future crop loss due to drought and enhance resiliency to altering climatic conditions. Financial help for implementing preservation practices might be offered through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Long-term damage from drought can include 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 read more about these impacts, possible recovery methods and how to take steps to make their land more resilient to dry spell in the future.

"The Natural Resources Conservation Service can be a very important partner to help landowners with their recovery and resiliency efforts," said Jon Bourdon, NRCS State Conservationist in West Virginia. "Our personnel will work individually with landowners to make evaluations of the damages and establish approaches that concentrate on effective recovery of the land."

Additional USDA catastrophe support info can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources particularly for producers affected 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 truth sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise uses an FSA academic center with LIP and ELAP choice tools as well as farm loan resource videos. For FSA and NRCS programs, manufacturers must call their local USDA Service Center. For help with a crop insurance coverage claim, manufacturers and landowners must contact their crop insurance representative.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in a lot of positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a higher concentrate on more resistant local and regional food production, fairer markets for all manufacturers, making sure access to safe, healthy and in all communities, constructing brand-new markets and streams of income for farmers and manufacturers utilizing environment smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in facilities and tidy energy capabilities in rural America, and dedicating to equity across the Department by getting rid of systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. For more information, check out usda.gov.